


Whispers in the Dark

by PlaguedParadox



Series: Whispers in the Dark Universe [1]
Category: Real Person Fiction, Who Killed Markiplier, YouTuber Fiction, Youtubers, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Long-Distance Friendship, Main Character is technically the reader, Marriage Proposal, Other, POV Female Character, POV First Person, Past Character Death, Probably won't ever write 'Y/N' in this but we'll see, Reader-Insert, Retrogression, Who Killed Markiplier?, long chapters, they deserve better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-02-08 02:24:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12854724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlaguedParadox/pseuds/PlaguedParadox
Summary: Every night for almost a year now, I get nightmares. Nightmares of something that can't possibly be real. The nightmares have made me paranoid, made me believe that my friends will turn around and betray me, even if the 'friends' they refer to are only in the dream world.After a small camping trip with my friends, I hear a voice call my name as if it's asking for help. It's freaking out even my penpal, Sean, to the point where he's now demanding I go to America and stay with him while he's on holiday visiting his friends there. I can only hope that my life goes back to normal. Or at least find out who is asking for help.And who's that strange man that's been following me? Only time will tell I guess.





	1. Friends and Nightmares

 

There was once a time where I was safe. With friends that were always happy to see me and who would always protect me, or at least that’s what I thought. The nightmares that have plagued me for almost a year now hint at otherwise. They warn of betrayal and manipulation - of death. They scared me at first, made me wary of all those I hold close to me. Then I realised I didn’t recognise those ‘friends’ in the nightmares, so I grew to ignore them. However, the nagging of paranoia still crept up on me every now and again. 

Especially now.

The sound of blistering winds and cawing crows filled the air around me, something that I quickly grew used to as I walked through the fog-filled woods that my friends dragged me to for a simple camping trip. Despite mine and some other complaints about the weather turning, the ‘leader’ of our friendship persisted and eventually lead us to the campsite. And now here we were, or rather here I was, looking for firewood as the skies threatened to pour down on me. A sigh left my lips as I bent down to grab another dry branch that would prove useful for the fire for only a few moments, the small bundle in my arm was growing but I knew that our lovely ‘leader’ would complain that I collected so little even if I had been out here alone for only around ten minutes now. 

The snapping of small twigs sounded out, alerting me to look into the direction it came from. The sound was too delicate to have been made by a human’s weight, and I was proven right when a fox scurried along. A small smile made its way to my lips as I watched the creature run without a care in the world. _I wish I could be like that._ Another sound made me alert once again, this time it was someone’s voice calling my name but it was more like a whisper on the wind, like a memory echoing and trying to reach out to me. I could barely identify the voice that called out, whoever’s voice it was, it was male and baritone in nature. The hushed sound, being drowned out by distance and the strong winds, was surprisingly comforting as if it was an old friend greeting me. 

I think that’s what disturbed me the most. The odd comfort of a voice I didn’t recognise but somehow my body knew as if I had at least heard the voice before. And I would say that the voice brought a familiar face to it, though I doubted that he’d be in these woods and doubted even more that he’d so much as know my name. I was a nobody, even on the internet where anyone could be anyone. I had a very small presence even on a platform that I’d been using for years now since I was a very young teen if I recalled correctly. 

My feet slowly made their way back as the voice drew closer as if the owner was searching for me. My name was more defined with each call. It was terrifying. My breath caught in the back of my throat as I hid behind a tree, my gaze never leaving the direction of the voice’s calls. I didn’t dare turn around and run in fear that I’d end up hopelessly lost and too far away from the trail I had been following and too far away from the camp for my friends to hear my cries of help. 

Footsteps drew closer and closer, the sound of the wind that proceeded to pick up made it hard to pinpoint where they came from but they were far too close for me to be comfortable. A presence loomed behind me, beckoning for me to look. 

A beckoning I listened to, swinging my head around and gandering at the person who tried to scare me. My quick actions caused them to jump and yelp in response, their clumsiness made them quickly ending up on the floor glaring playfully up at me. _I should’ve known it was Klaus._

Klaus Schmidt, my friend and coworker for around three years now. He was a fairly attractive man, slightly muscular and lucky, with him being a doctor, he had the brains to match. His blonde hair and blue eyes were something most girls were attracted to, his perverse personality, however, was not. He always tried to use his Germanic charm on me but because I knew him - and his squeamish tendencies around silly little things like worms - it never worked. 

“Really Klaus? Really? Trying to scare me in the woods? Talk about cliche, dude.” My voice sounded out as I held my own false glare down at the Austrian man who dared try to scare me in such an obvious horror cliche scenario. “I was hoping for so much better, especially after all those movie marathons!” I laugh out and hold my hand out for him, pushing the bundle of sticks into one arm to make things easier for me. 

“Ah… sorry, Fräulein. I was just hoping for a small scream. It would have certainly freaked out the others, nein?” He chuckled out, his accent still very prominent even after his many years living in an English city.  “I have to try harder next time!” The man grinned as he took my hand and used it to pull himself up from the dirt. For a doctor of medicine he was a huge fan of scaring people, thankfully his patients were not on the list of people for him to scare. Me as a nurse, however? It gave him ample opportunity to try and give me a small fright, it did slow down from daily to monthly after I suggested the movie marathons, whilst preferring detective movies and old noirs, there was always something about horror films that always seemed to drag me back to them. 

Perhaps that’s why I was so quick to become used to my current surroundings. 

“What are you doing out here, Schmidt? I thought you were being forced to put the tents up.” My question fell on deaf ears as the calls of my name sounded out once again. “Who the hell…?” My thoughts slipped out of my mouth as I began to turn back towards the direction of the caller. All I heard was Klaus gulp nervously before I was yanked all the way back to camp by the sprinting man, dropping the bundle along the way. 

A shocked yelp sounded out from another voice as the Austrian crashed into another member of our small party. Groans quickly sounded out from the small pile consisting of two blonde men, one frantically trying to shove the other off, a swear or two slipping out with each new shove. _We just had to crash into Arthur…_ I groaned in my head as I looked at the Englishman swearing his head off, it wasn’t long before the noise caught our ‘leader’s’ attention. 

Our ‘leader’ was a short plump woman, who often had her hair cut into a bob. Her forest green eyes typically shown out from behind her fringe. She was called Gracie, and she was my best friend. We met each other through college, she was determined to become a police officer while I longed to be in a medical career. Well, medical or something to do with the law. I had always wanted to be a layer as a kid, helping right wrongs and put criminals away for a long time but I wanted to save people so much more. And little Gracie Dune was there all the way. The brunette was a woman of few words, especially compared to her cousin, Arthur Watson - a man that looks a lot like his cousin apart from his skinny frame and blonde hair. He was someone I typically considered to be the typical Englishman with all his cynicism and tea drinking. I actually met Gracie through him. Arthur was a writer while Gracie was currently working with the government to keep the police force was good as it could be. 

A small tired chuckle left my lips as I walked over to my tent, sitting less than gracefully down in the doorway as I gazed out at the bickering adults. Well, they claimed they were adults. My attention soon fell onto the clearing skies above me, the clouds being wonderful and parting ways to show the thousands of stars that filled the night sky. My favourite sight. 

Things quieted down once Gracie brought out the food. _Good Ol’ Gracie._ The trio was huddled around the weakening fire while I stayed sat down in the comfort of my tent’s doorway, wrapped in a fluffy blanket. It had been a Christmas present from my penpal, Sean, someone who I wished I could meet. He was an awesome guy and his stories from his trips around the world and of his crazy friends never failed to make me laugh. I adored the friendship I had with him and I was proud to hear of how much he was accomplishing, even if he kept the details extremely vague. 

After zipping up my tent for the night I laid down and sneakily brought out my phone, keeping the brightness on low so it wasn’t easily noticed by Gracie and her harsh rule of ‘No technology while camping unless it’s an emergency.’ _I would say missing out on my favourite YouTubers could be considered an emergency._ I thought to myself as I placed my earbuds into place and plugged them into my phone. It wasn’t long before my subscription feed showed the plethora of new videos for me to watch from my favourite content creators but my eyes landed straight on to a certain channel. He had been back from his break for a small while at that point in time but I hadn’t watched his videos in a while. 

I clicked on his channel and scrolled back slightly, pausing when I saw videos that seemed to be based on a murder mystery. With the YouTuber playing different roles. _A four-part skit? Good on ya, dude._ I thought as I tapped the first video. 

By the end of watching all four videos and four more comedy value videos that linked to them, I was in tears. Both because of sadness and laughter. That man certainly knew how to grip and pull at my heartstrings. I quickly found out there was a Tumblr tag for the videos, each person expressing interest in their own way, many theories, jokes and of course ‘protection squads’ had been made for various characters. The community was as active as ever and I felt a bit bad jumping into the chaos so late, but with a busy life, you can only watch so much youtube. 

Upon deciding that sleep could wait for a few more hours, I decided to bring up my favourite Irishman’s youtube channel. Jack was one hell of a character and really did remind me of Sean, perhaps that’s why I liked his videos so much. Also didn’t help they had the same name. 

Soon sleep wasn’t just knocking on my doorstep, it was full on trying to ram the door down with how exhausted I had made myself. A yawn slipped past my lips as I turned my phone off and laid on my side trying to get comfortable, hoping my exhaustion had not reached the point where it would just needlessly keep me awake. I didn’t care if nightmares showed up once again, I just wanted to sleep. 

And with that, I slept.

 

_ Groans sounded from my throat as I pulled myself off the extremely comfy bed. A normal start to these recurring nightmares. I made sure I was decent before making my way out to the landing, the landing always seemed to hold an angel at the end of it. An angel that gazed off to the side looking innocent as always. If he was real, I would have had a crush on him. He was familiar but I couldn’t pinpoint how or why. I couldn’t really make out details apart from his dark hair and eyes that seemed to reflect the light oh so wonderfully while his golden skin fell against his dark suit. Oh, how I wished I could see details but every time I tried the blur that was already there seemed to get worse as if I was looking through murky water and somehow me trying to focus on the details was somehow stirring the muck up.  _

_ My path was interrupted by someone else who was also dressed in black and white. I couldn’t hear his voice but I’m sure he was trying to be helpful so I thank him for the glass that was placed in my hand and continue towards the angel. If only things lasted like this but they never do.  _

_ After a small moment with him, the area around me warped in such harsh and unnatural ways, an almost desaturated and ‘3D’ effect coated the environment, as well as an annoying static sound filled the air, as I was forced to look out at the various scenes unfold. A friend dying, a woman I never wanted to see again, a deal to be regretted. And him. I couldn’t seem him as well as I could the angel but I knew the angel was a part of him. His cold stare was harsh and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, every part of me screaming to run away as he brought nothing but danger. But, much like with horror movies, something drew me to him.  _

_ I didn’t dare draw closer to him, I wasn’t that stupid. My body considered this man dangerous for a reason and I was going to keep my distance. It got to the point where if he stepped closer, then I’d step back, again and again until it was like some sort of twisted dance and despite his enraged and frustration filled face - a seemingly natural look for him - an odd calmness emitted from him. A sensation that brought back how I felt about the voice in the woods. It was the same odd calmness.  _

_ Neither of us dared to speak, even as we danced. It was almost as if he knew I couldn’t hear him. Or was it because he tried to speak before? There was a vague recollection of him moving his lips in a previous nightmare but that was long ago and he had almost given up trying.  _

_ And it actually made me glad.  _

_ It’s not like I didn’t want to hear him speak. I did. I wanted to know what he had to say but there was always a good amount of me that admitted that it probably would be something that I wouldn’t want to hear. Plus, if it was really important, he wouldn’t waste his time with this dance. He doesn’t seem like the type to have much patience. _

 

It didn’t take too long for me to wake up after the dance slowed to the stop. My eyes stung as familiar tears stained my cheeks. Those people weren’t real, so why did I care for them? Well, most of them.

Minutes and then hours went by, time slowly draining and dulling the memories of the nightmare just as it had done countless times before. An agitated groan left my lips as the morning sun began to light up the side of my dull blue tent, making it impossible for me to ignore the fact my friends would soon be active once again. Slowly, I rolled onto my back and pulled myself up and out of the dark sleeping bag that would be my bed for the next few nights, or for however long Gracie determined was long enough. 

I grab my phone and check youtube once again, yet more videos from my favourite creators. As I was about to turn my phone off a notification came through, alerting me to a new email which could only be from one person, Sean. He always seemed to email me in the mornings, it’s almost routine now so it didn’t take much guesswork. I was quick to open it as always.

 

From : jackabeans@gmail.com

   To: awonderfuldayawaits@gmail.com

   Subject: RE: Heya!

 

GOOD MORNING LASS!!!

Sorry, had a bit too much coffee! Is there such a thing as too much coffee? That must be the question of life itself! Ha!

Anyway, yeah, things have been great as of late, thanks for asking. My mates have actually been asking about you, well one of them has… I think he likes your stories a bit too much. He’s always so fooking entranced by them. Then again, you both adore helping people so I guess it’s only natural to be absorbed into stories like that. 

I’m ramblin again!

So, how are you? Personal question as always but y’know how much I worry… Those nightmares haven’t been helping…

Ah crap, I need to get goin, got a plane to catch! 

As always, yer best bud,

Sean :P

 

A laugh slipped its way through my lips as I read through his energy filled email. Sean, always full of energy and always worrying about me. Then again we have been talking for a year and a half, he’s known me since before the nightmares and he ‘saw’ how much I changed because of them so he has every right to worry. I thought for a small moment about what to say before replying. 

  
  


   From: awonderfuldayawaits@gmail.com

   To: jackabeans@gmail.com

   Subject: RE: RE: Heya!

 

Heya Sean! 

Glad to see you’re so full of energy, I’m certainly not. How about you pass some of it my way? 

Glad things have been good for you. I’m guessing that the mate of yours is the one you’ve labelled ‘M’? I think that’s what you called him. Anyway, I’ll keep that in mind and I’ll let you know if anything interesting happens while at work. I’m camping for a small while, Gracie’s orders. 

I’m… fine, I guess. Had yet another nightmare but apart from making me cry they don’t seem to do much to me. 

A plane to catch? Another trip to America I’m guessing? Have fun ya doof!

Keep being awesome,

A very grumpy me. XP

 

Sounds of rustling cloth and a zipper moving let me know that someone else was awake so after making sure the email sent I threw my phone into my backpack just in time before my tent zipper began to shift. Before I knew it, a sleepy Gracie was poking her head in with a silly grin on her face.

“‘Sup Butthead!” She shouted in an exhausted tone. It was obvious that she and Arthur had spent the night arguing yet again. It was just like Sean’s morning emails, routine. The short woman quickly made her way to my side and plopped herself down, holding me close as she did. 

“‘Sup Banana Bread. Arthur being an arse again?” I asked, only receiving a small nod and yawn in response. With very little difficulty I placed Gracie down onto my sleeping bag and exited the tent, the chill to the air made me very grateful to the fact I decided to sleep fully dressed, jeans and all. 

The fog was still there, clinging to the nearby lake and trees like a child to their beloved parent. The campsite was almost always deserted for the time of year, typically teens and young families flocked to this place during the summer to enjoy the cool water of the lake but as it was early spring people tended to avoid the area. I always thought it was rather stupid to ignore such a beautiful place simply because it was a bit cold out but to each their own. 

Camping has always been a big thing for Gracie and me, it was the first thing we did after leaving college after I told her that I had never gone camping before. And now, we made sure to go at least once a year, this was the first year other people were invited, so that was something. 

A small relaxed sigh left me as I sat down on an old fallen tree near the edge of the water. The calm and gentle ripples and the light breeze helped the beautiful scene become something that many would only see in a picture but there was always something slightly sinister to these woods as if I was being watched. Perhaps my paranoia and the occurrence with the voice yesterday were getting to me but I couldn’t bring myself to look at the treeline around me or stand up from the tree.

Not until Arthur woke up a few hours later.

  
  
  



	2. Travel and Blue Glows

Being around my friends is a treat. I won’t say otherwise on that. But nothing brought me more solace than being able to go back into my tent and to my phone. To Sean. That and the blanket he bought me was amazingly fluffy and warm, when he first sent it to me I refused to go anywhere in my house without it.

My tent was warmer than I expected when I made my way back into it, it felt as if someone left a small heater nearby but no one packed one so that couldn’t be the case. Either way, I shrugged it off and yanked my phone out of my bag. Of course, the first thing I notice is email notifications, multiple. _Looks like Sean got concerned._

 

        From: jackabeans@gmail.com

        To: awonderfuldayawaits@gmail.com

        Subject: Concerned Bean here!

 

Are ye sure you should be camping when you can fall asleep any minute from a lack of sleep?! And um… yeah. M. He’s super worried about ya! Hang on… I’ll give him your email address so he can message you himself. Stops him asking me.

Please be safe,

Sean

 

I quickly checked the next email to see it was indeed from ‘M’. His email address immediately caught my attention just from how odd it was. An ugly sounding snort of a laugh sounded out as I reread the name. He’s definitely a friend of Sean’s.

 

      From: pantslessmoomoo@gmail.com

      To: awonderfuldayawaits@gmail.com

      Subject: Hello!

 

Hey, um… It’s M. Sean’s friend? He said I should just refer to myself as that when I’m talking to you. I heard about your nightmares, sounds awful… Not being able to sleep in peace…

But it’s awesome how you’re still helping people and saving lives despite that! And a bit concerning… Ah well, it’s been happening for a while and nothing bad’s happened so that’s something! :D

Hello again, by the way,

M

 

A sigh left my lips as I looked at the two messages as I wondered who to answer to first, I sat there for about a minute before I decided what to do. Email both at the same time. _I mean, I’d have to wait for both to reply for it to work how I’d like it to but at least it was something._ I thought to myself as I dragged the fluffy blanket closer to myself, fighting against the cold that started to creep into my fabric fortress.

 

        From: awonderfuldayawaits@gmail.com

        To: jackabeans@gmail.com, pantslessmoomoo@gmail.com

        Subject: Sent to both Sean and M because I’m lazy

 

First of all,

Hello to you too M, I was hoping to talk to one of Sean’s IRL friends at some point. Didn’t think it would be like this though.

Anyway, my nightmares are nothing to worry about, I’ve had them for a while and I’ve become rather desensitized to them. All they do is make me cry… and slightly paranoid. I keep thinking someone’s been calling my name even if there’s no one nearby. Not to mention I feel like someone’s watching me. It’s probably just my paranoia so…

Sean, don’t worry,

A girl who’s warm under her bright green and blue blanket. :)

 

M didn’t reply to the email but Sean was the quick bean he was and replied within five minutes.

 

       From: jackabeans@gmail.com

       To: awonderfuldayawaits@gmail.com

       Subject: VERY Concerned Bean here!

 

That’s not a good! Not a good at all! :(

How can you expect me to not worry when you don’t feel safe?! When you feel as if you’re being watched?! WHEN SOMEONE’S BEEN CALLIN YOUR NAME!!! >:(

I WANT YOU SAFE DAMMIT!

You’re just as much my friend as M is and I’d do the same for him! So… Isentsomemoneytoyourpaypal.BuyaticketandcomemeetmehereinLA! DON’T BE MAD!

Yer fav bean,

Sean :3

 

A large sigh mixed in with a frustrated groan escaped my lips. Sean was a stubborn bugger and I knew there was little to no changing his mind. But there was a silver lining to what he had done, he was letting me see him. I proceeded to check my PayPal and he had indeed sent me some money, enough for a ticket there and a ticket back. _Looks like he expects me to stay with him._ I thought as I began to book my flight tickets. I rushed to pack everything away and within a ten more minutes I was packed and telling Gracie that she could borrow my tent and sleeping bag so she didn’t have to stay in the same tent as her cousin.

It was a good thing that I was known for rarely taking holidays away from work so when I do call up they’re almost always happy to let me go. Several hours later I was out of the UK and in LA looking around for whatever Sean could possibly do to try and grab my attention. In the distance, there were two men that seemed to be trying to hide their identity. One of the men held an acoustic guitar and seemed to play it while the other began to try and sing I'll Be Good by Jaymes Young.

I recognised the song almost immediately, it had been my favourite song for years now and I made sure to mention it to my beloved penpal. When the song finished and the crowd they had drawn in began to disperse I made a mad dash over.

“JACKABEAN!!!” I yelled out, hoping to grab the man’s attention and ended up grabbing most of the previous audience’s attention at the same time. _Oops…_ Before I knew it I was on the floor with an Irishman on top of me.

“You’re here!” Sean chirped out happily, nuzzling me as he wrapped his arms around my waist. The voice was something I recognised immediately and it took everything in my power not to squeal like the fangirl I was.

A deep baritone chuckle caused my eyes to widen and my cheeks to turn a dark red as I realised the position Sean and I was in. A tanned hand came into my view, offering some help from the more than embarrassing position that the Irishman had accidentally put us into. The help was something I immediately accepted, grabbing his hand and allowing it to pull me up into a different embrace.

“You okay? Sorry about him, as soon as he got the email that you were getting the plane out he was nonstop.” His voice, just as warm and welcoming as in his videos, sounded out with another chuckled as he rubbed my back. “Dammit Jack, you couldn’t just hug her now could you?” A deep and joy-filled laugh filled the air as Mark Fischbach began to lead me away to his van. The van that he had featured quite a few videos. It was a mess of a vehicle.

The drive to Mark’s place was a rather noisy one as Jack played music from his phone and the boys tried their best to sing along. I was trying my hardest not to laugh at the absurdity of it all, out of fear of them stopping. That was the last thing I wanted to do so I just made do with the goofy grin that ended up being plastered on my face. I’m sure that Mark noticed it upon his many glances at the rearview mirror but I was enjoying their antics too much to care if one of my heroes saw me being goofy.

It wasn’t long before we were all sitting outside the house, joking and watching the sunset, acting as if we had always been friends. It felt perfect. “Ah! I’ll be right back, stupid bladder!” Sean whined out as he rushed into the house to try and reach the toilet before his bladder took things into its own hands. Normally, it wouldn’t have been funny, but he was yelling along the whole way and I couldn’t hold back my giggles.

“Fuck sake, Jack…” The dark haired man next to me chuckled out as he watched his best friend rush inside before pulling his gaze down to me. “You look familiar…” He muttered out, his face scrunched slightly in confusion as he tried to place me. I knew he couldn’t, there was no way we could've met before when we did. As a fan, I’d of let him know. “It’s probably nothing…” He muttered out again, leaning against me slightly as a small yawn escaped his lips. “Welp, we probably should get some sleep! Let’s hope the change of scenery helps ease those nightmares of yours, eh?” Mark gave me one of his brilliant grins before walking into the building yourself, leaving me outside in the dull and fading sunlight.

The heat was something I wasn’t all too used to, so I sat there for a moment just trying to get used to it all before my attention was pulled to a small flash of pastel yellow and pink that ran down the bottom of the street. I kept my attention on the end of the road, hoping to see the pastel figure go by again but as the sun’s light began to fade away and the horrid feeling of being watched began to set in. A gulp sounded out from my throat as I slowly backed my way into Mark’s house, making sure not to accidentally let Chica out as I shut the door.

I gave the outstandingly adorable dog a pat on her golden head before making my way to the sofa where my fluffy blanket laid in wait for me to wrap myself up in it and fall asleep. I really did wonder if being in a different country would allow me to escape from those nightmares. _There was only one way to find out._

 

 _Something seemed… different. Whether that was good or bad, remained to be seen._ At least there was something different. _The mansion around me seemed… empty. As if all the events had already taken place. To the right of me was a cracked mirror, to the left was a door._ The illusion of choice. _To go to the mirror or run off to the door. I would've just left to a different part of the mansion but the other directions seemed to almost black out as if a thick, dark smoke clogged the ways. A frustrated sigh left my lips as I made my way over to the mirror._

_“Why are you cracked?” My voice came out like an echo as if I was speaking in a vast open space rather than a furnished mansion._

_“Because I cracked it.” A voice hissed out from behind me. It was quiet and full of malice. As if the voice was waiting for me to make one wrong move so it could strike. The voice was familiar but was distorted heavily. The baritone nature of it called to mind one person but it couldn’t have been him. My throat felt dry as my hand instinctively started to make it’s way to the cracked mirror. “Don’t.” It hissed out once again, making my hand freeze just before I could touch the shattered glass._

_“Why? Why me?” My voice cracked slightly as I questioned the voice, turning myself to look behind me. As I expected, there was nothing._

_“Because… you never had a choice. No one has a choice.” It hissed out, always staying behind me. “Not anymore.” I could feel it’s presence wrap around me, pretending to be tender as if it was someone hugging me from behind but the cold that radiated from the presence made it feel disgusting on my skin._

_“Life is ours to choose.” Those words felt foreign in my mouth but the sentence was familiar just like so many things had been recently.  A deep angered growl sounded out from behind me, the presence going from cold to an almost icy chill._

_The smoke poured in and covered the area in front of me, blocking the door preventing my escape, as if I could have escaped in the first place._ **_“WORDS OF A FOOL!”_ ** _The voice screeched as it distorted and became unrecognisable. Clearly, I had angered it._ Wow, the first conversation with a random entity and I’m pissing it off. Go me. _I thought sarcastically to myself as I turn back to face the mirror._

 _A sigh left my lips as I purposely lifted my hand to the mirror, noticing the odd shine of light that seemed to seep from it. Just as I was about to touch the cool, light emitting glass the black smoke cut my hand’s path and surrounded me in darkness._ Really?! _My thoughts seemed to echo out in the void around me as if I proclaimed them out loud._

 _Upon trying to walk I found out that I was stuck on the spot, causing a frustrated groan to leave my lips._ You have got to be kidding me! _My thoughts growled out as I tugged at my legs, trying to coax them into moving._

_“Old friend…?” A whisper sounded out from the void, the voice familiar and calming just as it had been when I heard it in the woods. I lift my head into the rough direction of the sound, the echoed nature of the darkness around me making it difficult to work out where his voice was coming from. “Old friend… is that really you?” The whisper sounded out again, the voice sounding rather hopeful as it drew closer._

_A dull blue glow came into view, it had no discernable shape and seemed to flicker like a flame that was struggling to stay alight against a harsh wind but the light from it was comforting - especially in the void._

_“Why won’t you speak to me…?” The voice sounded sad but still kept it’s weak whisper._ Are you okay? _My thoughts echoed out as I allowed my hand to reach out to touch the mess of fading light. “There’s your voice… I’m fine, I believe… for now at least. I’m… not exactly myself right now.” The more he talked, the more his voice reminded me of Mark’s. It sent a chill down my spine despite the warmth his voice held._ You seem like you’re fading… _A sigh sounded out from the voice as the light drew closer. “I think that’s because I am…  I’m so tired…” The dull blue glow seemed to lean on me as an exhausted sound sounded out from it._

_The sound of a barking dog spread throughout the void and a bizarre warmth covered me as other voices whispered out to me, beckoning me towards them. The void seemed to begin to crack and the darkness chipped away into light. “Don’t go…!” His voice sounded out but I couldn’t reply as I was thrust into the waking world._

 

The feeling of someone shaking me awake has always annoyed me but there was something about the worried, deep voice that called out to me at the same time that made me okay with it all. The shaking stopped for a moment and then I felt something warm and wet scrape rapidly across my face. “Chica, no…” I mumbled out as I placed my hand on her soft golden fur and tried to gently pry her away and cease the assault on my face. “I know you’re a good pup but please stop…” I groaned out as I forced my body to sit up. “Shut it Mark…” Was my response to his adorable laughter that sounded out as he watched his beloved pup wake me up.

“Sorry, that was just too cute. Anyway, are you okay? You seemed to be distressed, another nightmare?” Fischbach’s voice held more concern than I felt necessary but it was a part of his personality, he was selfless and he cared far too much for others even if he didn’t know them but that’s what made me and millions of others love him. Well, that and he was a huge goof. He sighed deeply when I gave a nod in reply. “Right… I mean, I guess it was stupid for me to hope that you being here would help you get away from those nightmares. No surprise that I was being stupid… Anyway! I’m going to make pancakes, Sean told me that you liked those.” He said while nodding towards a chair nearby, showing me that Sean had fallen asleep in it. _That cannot be comfortable._

Mark made his way to the kitchen as I made my way over to the sleeping bean, I covered him with the blanket he gave me in an attempt to try and make him more comfortable. I couldn’t help but stroke his hair a few times as a calming gesture before following the awake male into the kitchen.

“Chefiplier returns!” I giggle out as I noticed the chef hat upon his head. Mark turned around in a quick fashion, gave me a cheeky wink and a grin before turning back to making the pancakes. I walk over to an empty kitchen counter and hoisted myself up onto it.

A small back and forth soon become a thing, multiple references to his many alter egos flew out of our mouths, each new joke or reference caused a harder laugh from the other to sound out.

I wasn't sure it if was the sound of laughter emitting from the kitchen or the smell of delicious pancakes but it caused the Irish bean to wake up and run into the kitchen. “GIMME FOOD!” He whined out as his stomach growled. I rolled my eyes playfully and slid a plate of pancakes over to the hungry man and watched as he practically devoured the damn thing. My eyes drifted over to the American in the room to see his eyes staring back at me, a gentle smile on his lips causing a smile of my own to form. “Please tell me you’re not gonna kiss...” Sean spoke out causing Mark to look at him as if he suggested something ridiculous.

“I’m in a relationship, you know that, Jack!” He cried out defensively, flailing the spatula he had been using for the pancakes around like the silly man he was.

A small chuckle left my lips as I made my way out of the kitchen and away from the two jokingly arguing men. After quickly rushing to the bathroom with a change of clothes and changing into said clothes I sat on the sofa and gently petted the good pup that was Chica as she laid beside me. _Who did that voice belong to…? Was it one of Mark’s egos? I mean it did sound like him but at the same time, it was different._ I must've lost myself in thought for a small while as the boys had walked back into the living room and started playing video games as I sat there. “Mark, which of your egos are associated with the colour blue?” I asked out loud without thinking. Hoping that the colour of the voice’s glow was significant to their identity.

“My egos? Um… Well I know several of them wear blue, like the Jims. There’s Googleplier when he hasn’t got his clones out. Um… Damien? I know we used blue for him when we filmed Who Killed Markiplier. Y’know, Celine was red, Damien was blue… I think you mentioned that you watched it. Why the random question?” He asked, pausing the game so he could turn to face me.

I gave a small shrug before looking down in thought. _It couldn’t have been… Would Damien really mistake me for his beloved DA friend? Then again, the viewer of the videos is meant to be a version of the DA. GAH! I’m thinking too much into this, the videos probably have just influenced my dreams!_ I huff to myself quietly, shaking off the stupidity I felt for assuming that WKM had any reality other than the one Mark made. I lift my head to watch what the boys were playing and got lost watching them play, just as I had done plenty of times before.

 


	3. An Interesting Interview

The morning seemed to go quickly, especially with Mark and Sean around as well as the ever bubbly Chica. It eventually got to the point that the two decided that all three of us humans would head off to the nearest mall. Again, we travelled in Mark’s van and again they tried to best to sing whatever song came out from one of their phones, this time it was Mark’s. 

The mall reminded me of the shopping centres in England, just a lot more crowded and a lot noisier. All the racket made me wince but neither of my companions noticed as they dragged me from shop to shop. The most notable store was a costume store and the boys being their amazing selves decided that it was time to mess around and try the various masks and costume pieces that the store had to offer. I was pretty sure that I had filled up my phone with nothing but funny pictures of the boys. 

Things slowed down when Sean’s stomach, yet again, started to growl so we decided to stop at a random cafe that wasn’t full of people and used the time to relax and go through all the pictures, the boys posting some of the pictures online for their fans to see. I was slowly scrolling through my Twitter feed before I noticed that someone had been trying to text me. Probably Gracie. I thought as I tapped my messages app and my thought was confirmed once I noticed the name. 

Nothing of interest really happened in the text but the feeling of being watched came back once again. My eyes narrowed slightly as I gazed around, trying to spot if someone was indeed watching me. And that’s when I noticed him, a man, in a corner of the cafe closest to the door, dressed in pastels.  _ The pastel blur that occurred shortly before I felt as if I was being watched last night, could that of been him? _ I made a small excuse to the boys and left my seat, beginning to make my way over to him only for him to slip out the door and run. A small agitated growl left my throat as I slipped out the door and proceeded to run after the pastel man. 

“Wait! I just want to talk to you!” I cried out to the man as he made a turn into a seemingly abandoned building. A gulp left my throat as I looked up at the building. _ If I wanted answers as to why he’s been following me then I need to go in. _ Another gulp sounded out as I slowly pushed one of the doors open, the heavy door creaking as it went. “Oh jeez…” I muttered out as I made my way inside. 

The building was dark and dust filled to the point it made it difficult to breathe, but I needed to keep going. The pastel man was in here and I was going to get my answers. Sean wasn’t the only stubborn person in my group of friends. I seemed to wander through the building for almost ten minutes before I realised I was passing through the same doors again and again.  _ What the shit?!  _ I thought as I tried to walk through the door that was just behind me only to end up back into the same hallway I had just tried to leave. A growl sounded out of my throat as I ran down the hallway, bursting through one of the many doors that littered it. 

My movements quickly came to a halt as I burst into what seemed to be the set of a low budget TV show. A small stage held two chairs and the backdrop was rather basic with just a simple set of curtains. Cameras and lights were scattered around the outer edges of the stage to catch and light the various angles that would be cut together in post-production. As I made my way over to the stage, the pastel man appeared at the other end as if he was waiting for a cue to hop onto the stage. 

He was wearing a yellow shirt with a white collar, the colours broken up by the pink bowtie and suspenders he wore. To match the pastel theme, his trousers were a light brown. His look was so signature to him, and I was mad at myself that it took me seeing his bright pink moustache to realise who exactly had been following me - not that I really could believe it. 

Wilford Warfstache, one of Mark’s eldest alter egos, and somewhat of an icon for the channel. I really had to be careful about what I said to him. “Mr Warfstache?” I called out only for him to shush me in a rather over the top manner, something to be expected from the overly eccentric man. A moment of silence went by before a voice sounded out, introducing the show and it’s host. 

Once he was introduced he bounced onto the stage and greeted the nonexistent audience before plopping down on the chair nearest to where he had previously been standing. “Now we have a very special guest today, an old friend of mine! They hardly need an introduction so just give a big round of applause!” He cheered out, his speech slurring in its iconic way as he waved me over. _ Old friend… that’s what Damien said too. And Wilford was his friend…  _ I thought nervously as I slowly made my way onto the stage, taking the other seat and throwing a smile and a wave to the cameras. The fake audience was strangely excited to see me to the point where Wilford had to shush them just like he shushed me. 

“What’s all this about?” I muttered, gaze drifting between the host and the cameras that recorded our every movement. My question caused Wilford’s eyebrows to narrow slightly as he tilted his head. 

“What’s all this about? Why, only because you finally showed yourself again, old chap! It’s been more than just years since I’ve seen you, I was starting to get worried!” He chirped out, his stache and jaw moving erratically as he spoke. “So tell me, how have things been? What have you been doing as of late?” And so began the interview portion of the show. 

Many questions were asked and answered, they were all rather basic but I had to be careful with my words so he didn’t take anything out of context and accidentally kill me as he believed that I had asked for it. Wilford was my favourite ego apart from Google so I knew his mannerisms relatively well but the main problem with the eccentric man was that he was unpredictable. 

Wilford turned his attention to the audience and the main camera at the front and clapped his hands loudly together. “And I think that just about wraps it up for this wonderful interview! I’d like to thank my darling old friend for showing up for it and all of you for watching! See you all in my next interview!” He exclaimed, holding up his hand as if to wave it. Instead, he clicked his fingers and the area around us were plunged into darkness for a moment before the area illuminated again, Wilford still sat in his chair but now staring at me.

I blinked a few times and gazed around, the only thing in sight was Wilford and the two chairs that the pair of us were sat in. He let out a small huff and made his way over with his arms crossed. “What’s wrong?” My voice cracked slightly as my nerves began to scream at me to run. The man was clearly not in a jovial mood, a serious Warfstache was far more dangerous than any of the dangerous alter egos combined. 

“The interview was a success, something I should thank you for. All my other guests seem to die… but… why didn’t you bring them up? Damien… Celine… did they mean nothing to you?! I know Damien was your friend too so why didn’t you mention them?” Wilford cried out, falling to his knees as tears pooled in his eyes. He shuttered out a breath before continuing his ramble. “Where even are they…? It’s been so long since I’ve seen them… it’s not funny anymore…” He sobbed as he pulled me into a tight hug, making it more difficult to breathe than the dust.

It was rather awkward having an eccentric murderer hug you while he sobbed but I always had a soft spot for him so I couldn’t help but hold him close. “It’s okay…” I mumbled out, nuzzling his neck softly. There was peace for a few moments but it was quickly interrupted by my phone buzzing, signalling that a new text had been received. I grimaced to myself as I pulled out of the hug and quickly apologised to the reporter before pulling out my phone and opening the messages app. 

  
  
  


**Jackabeans**

**LASS!**

**Where’d ya go?! :(**

**Mark’s being an arse and complaining**

**Come back :(((**

 

Sorry, Sean!

I went to try and find something I saw in a shop.

I couldn’t find it :(

And then I got lost. :((

 

**It’s alright! Just try and find Mark’s van**

**Shouldn’t be too difficult  ;D**

 

Pfft, alright then!

See ya soon, Bean!

 

A sigh left my lips. I didn’t want to lie to Sean but I wasn’t quite sure how to explain Wilford and have him believe me. My gaze drifted from my phone to the moustached man to see him look at me in a strangely cute way.  _ This man is certainly something else.  _

“Sorry Wil, I need to go home. You know how it is. Um… how do I get out of here?” I questioned, looking around me as I did. The sound of a small whine and clicking fingers sounded out and I found myself in the parking lot near the mall alone.  _ Gotta love a man with awesome powers. _ I thought to myself as I walked over to the vehicle that had once been clean but now had stickers and writing smudged onto the body. 

I stood there alone for only a few minutes before a certain Irishman came running up to me and pulling me into a tight hug. “LAAASSSSS SAVE ME FROM THE GOOF!!!” Sean yelled out, laughing as he clung to me while a troubled looking Mark walked over. His arms were crossed as if he was about to tell someone off but any tension that radiated from him eased away once our eyes met. 

I tried to ask what happened to cause the tension but Mark cut me off. “Where were you? You initially said you were going to the bathroom, then you tell Jack you got lost while trying to find something but when I asked someone if they had seen you they said they saw you running after someone. So, where were you and what happened?” His voice was calm but it didn’t take a genius to work out that he had been beyond worried and was now angry. I flinched slightly at the calm anger that emitted from him, hating the feeling. That same stupid familiar feeling. I hated angry people. 

“Whoa, whoa, Mark calm the hell down, will ye? She probably went and tried shopping on the way back from the loo and then something happened to make her have to run after someone! There, all three things in a perfectly reasonable scenario.” Sean huffed out proudly, pulling me behind him slightly as he spoke to make sure there was a decent distance between the angry American and I. “But that just leaves the reason as to why she had to chase someone…” The Irishman mumbled as he turned slightly to look at me, his eyebrow raised in question. 

A small sigh left me as I tried to find a way to explaining why I was running after Wilford. “A guy… He had been watching me last night when we were sitting outside Mark’s house. He showed up and I went to go confront him. He ran so I chased him, I lost him though and lost myself too. Sorry for not telling you the whole story, Sean.” I explained, apologising to Sean once more in my head as I laid my head against his back, hugging his waist from behind. Sean’s chest puffed out slightly with pride as he believed that he had gotten the story right and began to jokingly gloat to Mark, I quickly zoned out of their small back and forth as my eyes rested on the pastel figure in the distance waving at me with a jolly, almost zozzled looking smile on his face - Wilford. 

I threw him a small smile before I closed my eyes. Enjoying the warmth of Sean’s back against my cheek.

The ride back to the house was tense despite the cheery atmosphere that Sean tried to keep up. It was obvious that Mark didn’t believe me and he had every right to be sceptical about me and my story, I was just a stranger - a friend of a friend - and that wasn’t enough to build trust. And I felt foolish for thinking otherwise as I sat in the back of the van, Mark’s silently judging gaze appearing through the mirror every now and again when Sean was too busy to notice.

A subtle gulp left my throat as his eyes connected with mine for what seemed to be the thousandth time when really it was only in the teens. The tension was growing far too thick for either of us to be comfortable but it wasn’t thick enough for Sean to notice as he kept making wisecracks and silly jokes that ended up being lost on me as I paid little attention. Mark finally pulled the van up to the house after what seemed like hours on the road, his constant judgement filled stares certainly made sure of that. 

“Hey, Sean, why don’t you run on ahead and let Chica out?” Mark offered as we walked over to the front door, throwing the keys as he did so. “I need to have a little talk with our friend here. Nothing bad, I promise.” He said, throwing the last sentence in after Sean threw him a judging glance of his own, giving the Irishman a smile for effect. Sean gave him a small nod in return and made his way into the house, energetically greeting the adorable pooch as he did. 

A few moments went by with us just standing there before he released a sigh and turned around to face me. A sad look filled his eyes as he scanned my discomfort laced face. Mark released a low and quiet groan, running a hand through his messy hair as he did so. 

“I’m sorry…” His voice came out in barely a whisper, deepening and emphasizing the sorry. “I know you mean well by lying to Sean but- Damn it! Why would you run after someone like that?! You could've gotten killed!” He exclaimed as he crushed me into a hug, nuzzling his face into my neck as a small sob left his shaking lips. “I was so worried…!” His muffled words brought tears to my eyes as I wrapped my arms around his shaking form. 

I’m not sure how long we stayed there but when we pulled apart slightly my gaze fell upon the setting sun and the colour changing sky that hung above us, a relaxed sigh sounded out from beside me as my current companion viewed the sunset with me. “I didn’t mean to worry you…” I muttered out, leaning my head onto Mark’s shoulder, only gazing away from the sky when his arm wrapped around me. The dark haired man muttered out a small ‘I know.’ in reply, pulling me closer slightly. 

Once the sun was almost completely hidden beyond the horizon was when Sean decided to call us in, reminding us that we needed sleep. Mark was quick to run in after he heard Chica bark, his voice cooing out for her almost instantly causing a warm smile to spread wildly across my face.  _ The things this man does to my heart. _ I thought as I made my own way indoors. 

Sean and I decided to swap sleeping places for the night - him on the sofa and me in the spare room. I had to force him to use my fluffy blanket as it was only fair, especially as soon as he was wrapped up and lying down on the sofa he was out like a light. A chuckle left my lips as I pet his hair a few times.

“You two are really close, huh?” Mark’s baritone voice rung out, surprising me to the fact that was so close. 

I nodded quickly and made my way over to the American. “Yeah, he and I have been talking for over a year so… We’ve always just clicked. He’s my best guy friend and I can’t imagine life without him.” I smile warmly as I gaze back at the sleeping Irishman who was mumbling softly in his sleep. “He’s always been there for me when no one else could be… not even Gracie, a girl I’ve known since I was a teen.” I turned my eyes back to Mark to see him smiling softly at me, his eyes full of warmth.  _ He’s probably just happy that his best friend was there for someone when they needed him.  _ I thought as I tried to come up with the next topic. “Would you believe me if I told you that there was a time I wouldn’t speak?” I mention as I slowly make my way upstairs.

“You? No… really? I could have never guessed with how talkative you are!” He exclaimed in a jokingly sarcastic tone as he followed me up the stairs, Chica hot on his heels. “Why wouldn’t you speak?” Mark asked, seemingly genuinely curious. 

I paused in front of the door that leads to the spare bedroom before turning to face the man behind me. “I don’t know, there are just points where I can’t bring myself to speak. I usually end up watching yours or Jack’s videos, using sound clips of the two of you to speak for me until my mouth decides to work again.” I answer honestly, my gaze falling to the floor in embarrassment as I admit to using his voice to speak for me. “It got to the point that my coworkers put together a soundboard app of your guys' voices as well as theirs just in case I go mute while at work.” I chuckle to myself, pulling out my phone and showing him the app.

Mark leaned against the wall opposite the bedroom’s door before he quickly stole my phone off of me and began playing with the soundboard, laughing at all the random lines that he had previously said. I failed to mention that the sound clips had been categorized into situations where they would be deemed most appropriate and as a joke, there was a ‘Sexy times’ situation. Mark’s face when he pressed one of the buttons only to hear an audio compilation of him moaning was rather hilarious, to say the least.

I watched, an amused smile curling my lips, as he opened and closed his mouth numerous times as if he was trying to say something but forgot.  _ I think I just broke Markiplier.  _ It took everything in my power to not laugh at him, in fear that I’d wake Sean with the noise. Cautiously, I slipped my phone out of his frozen hand and made my way into the bedroom after I gave Chica a small pet on the head as a way of bidding her goodnight. 

Much like my Irish best friend, as soon as I was wrapped up and laid down I fell asleep. 

 

_ The dream world seemed to be back to normal, replaying the same scenes that I had been seeing almost every night for a year now. There was a difference however, I could actually hear one of the men. The slurring reminding highly of the eccentric pastel loving man that was Wilford Warfstache, and despite the unease, the man’s actions caused there was something about his voice that calmed me.  _

_ It wasn’t long before I was back with the desaturated man, doing that dance we always did. This time he didn’t seem quite as calm. His intimidating aura was expanded more than usual but for some reason it only made me want to get closer to him, to try and see if I could calm him down. It felt as if that was a gut reaction but my instincts kept me away.  _ **_“Why?!”_ ** _ The hissing, distortedly deep voice from last night sounded out.  _

_ “Why, what?” I asked, backing away more than usual from the figure in front of me as I registered that the hiss came from him. “You sound as if I did something wrong but I haven’t done anything!” I cry out, exclaiming my innocence as my feet continue to carry me backwards. The figure stormed over, startling me to the point I tripped over nothing and fell backwards onto my arse. I whispered out a small sound of pain, screwing my eyes shut as the man bends over to shove his face close to my own.  _

_ An agitated growl emits from the figure as he harshly grips my shoulders, yanking me closer to his icy, suit covered frame.  _ **_“WHY ARE YOU BEFRIENDING HIM?!”_ ** _ The man roared out, a screeching static sound ringing out as his voice deepens and distorts more.   _ **_“Can’t you see that he’ll just betray you?! He’s dark! He takes over everything you’ve ever loved. He’s a bad man and does bad things to good people. You have to trust me.”_ ** _ The distortion seemed to calm down the more he spoke. The small speech seemed familiar, but the static made it hard to try and think so I couldn’t place where it was from.  _ **_“I’m just..._ ** _ trying to help.” His voice slowly lost its distortion as he placed his hand on my cheek, the chill from his grey skin completely cooling my cheeks causing an unwanted blush to occur, my body instantaneously trying to fight the cold by fighting to bring in warmth.  _

_ An unsteady gulp left my lips as I gently pushed his hand away. “I don’t even know who you are. And you’ve given me no reason to trust you…” I say, pushing myself away from him, trying to escape the sound of static that rang in my ears even with the main static sound now completely gone. The sound of glass sounded out, catching my attention and compelled me to look in the direction it came from. A crack in the bright area slowly started to appear, the crack resembling the one found in the mirror from the last nightmare.  _

_ As if it was instinct, I ran for it. _

 

The sound of someone crying out for me to wake me up pulled me out from the nightmare. My eyes opened to see a mess of dark hair resting on my shoulder as my ears registered the sounds of pleads coming from my favourite baritone voice. Mark held me close as he pleaded for me to wake up from the nightmare I was just in, not taking the time to lift his head and see my awoken state. 

In my tired state, I just mentally shrug and pull the larger human onto the bed with me, wrapping my arms around him and nuzzling into his neck. The position and the warmth emitting from the YouTuber beckoned me into unconsciousness - a dreamless sleep. 


	4. The Suited Demon

Things slowly became routine for the next week. Wake up, hang out with the boys during breakfast, play with Chica while having to wait for them to finish recording new videos, hang out at a cafe with the boys for lunch, sneakily wave at Wilford whenever he shows up in the background, go back to Mark’s for dinner and back to sleep where the figure and I would argue over me befriending someone - who he wouldn’t name which just made things more confusing.

Today broke the routine as Sean and I were packing up to head back to England. Mark was busy recording something so Sean and I were alone for the first time in a week.

“So… you and Mark, huh?” An Irish lilt sounded out, his tone was teasing as he nudged me with his elbow lightly. “What’s going on there?” He asked, sounding a bit more serious as he finished packing his suitcase.

I turn to look at him, rather perplexed by the question. It wasn’t like there was anything going on between the man and me, it was just that we became close throughout the week. Plus, it’s not like Sean knew about the night I cuddled with Mark, the American wouldn’t even talk to me about it which was frustrating because I wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to hang over our friendship like an awkward weight threatening to fall on our heads. 

“There’s nothing going on, we’re just becoming good friends. Thanks to you, might I add.” I mention, nudging the cheeky Irishman back. 

Sean gave out a small chuckle, immediately taking over my packing for me. “It’s just that… you two seem oddly close as if you’ve met before…” He said, sighing before quickly shaking his head dismissively.  “I’m probably just jealous because it took me months for you to open up to me while it’s taken around a few days for him.” 

A sigh left my lips as I drew him into a tight hug. “Well, just know that he can’t replace you. Okay, Bean?” I say gently, rubbing his back to comfort him. All I got was a small nod as a reply before he pulled away and went back to packing my bags for me. “I’m going to go for a walk quickly, I’ll be back soon, okay?” I say, throwing my jacket on and pacing towards the door after receiving a small hum from Sean as confirmation that he heard me. He always went a tad too upset when it came to goodbyes, the first time he and I started talking via email properly after becoming good friends he kept saying how he didn’t want to stop talking to me. It took nearly an hour to convince him to leave the computer alone. 

The air outside was still far too warm compared to what I was used to, having spent a good portion of time in England. 

I had spent at least a quarter of an hour just walking in a random direction before my favourite moustached man showed up to keep me company. “Hey, Wil.” I greeted cheerfully, wrapping my arm around his without thinking. I turned my head slightly to look up at the moustached Mark lookalike to see him beaming down at me. 

“Hello there, old chap!” Wilford greeted with a chirp in his voice back to me, his moustache and jaw flailing erratically as they always did when he spoke. We had a calm back and forth for almost half an hour before a chill rushed down my spine, it was the feeling of being watched, again.  “Hm…?” Wilford noticed the odd feeling and looked around to try and see who it was. “Well, that’s not fair…” The moustached man mumbled out, clicking his fingers in annoyance sending us to a meadow in the middle of nowhere. 

A dark figure that emitted what seemed to be black smoke stood a distance away, his arms crossed firmly behind his back as his neck rolled along the length of his shoulders releasing the kinks from his spine. Considering who I was holding on to, I quickly worked out who he was. The recently suited demon who had once been a running joke on Mark’s channel - Darkiplier. 

Dark left out a sigh and turned slightly, just enough for his eyes to land on my companion and I. “At least you’ve chosen better company.” The demon spoke out, his voice was Mark’s just deeper but even with the familiarity of it, it didn’t comfort me. “Will, move away from her.” He ordered only to receive a roll of Wilford’s eyes in response causing him to growl in annoyance. 

“Now, why should I move away from my friend? She’s excellent company and she hasn’t done anything wrong.” Wilford huffed out, crossing his arms for emphasis. Dark paced closer, his smoky aura fading slightly once he was a few steps away. “She’s a good girl.” Will firmly stated, pulling me behind him as if he feared that the demon in front of us would hurt me. 

Another sigh left the suited man as he began to pace back and forth slightly, thinking over his next actions carefully. “I know she’s a good girl, it’s her choice of friends that worry me. You should know what I’m referring to, Will.” Dark stated, his arm gesturing around weirdly frantically while his face held a deadly calm. “They are not to be trusted. Especially not when that pathetic leprechaun still has a hold on his friend. Do you really want her to end up hurt again?” He asked, confusing me as I couldn’t recall a time where I had really ever been hurt, at least not in the context I believed he was implying. 

“S-She won’t get hurt!” Wilford stuttered out, his eyes filling up with tears. “I’ll protect her this time!” He exclaimed as he stomped his way over to the suited demon that was probably just trying to manipulate him. Dark was a social manipulator, after all. 

“Would it really work against him? He’s already had it set in her mind that he’s to be trusted. Same thing for the other one. You must not forget what happened to the siblings, how they disappeared after that day.” Dark hissed out, getting into Wilford’s face as his anger grew the longer they discussed whatever they were really meant to be discussing, each sentence was just confusing me more. “If you truly believe you can protect her without my or the other egos’ help, then so be it. Just don’t come to me looking for assistance when he turns her against you.” The demon growled out, disappearing into the smoke he produced. A moment later and he was gone.

Wilford let out a small whine as he stomped on the ground slightly. “You’re meant to be my friend, Dark…” The eccentric man muttered out as he held himself close. A sigh left his lips before he turned to face me, a fake smile painting his lips as he held his hand up. “Let’s get you home, shall we? You have a plane to catch!” He announced, clicking his fingers before I could even reply. 

I found myself standing outside of Mark’s house, the sounds of people arguing inside made me panic and stay outside, my dislike for anger almost paralyzing me to the spot Wilford put me in. The sound of the front door slamming shut brought me out of my paralysis and drew my gaze over to the groaning Irishman glaring at the door he had just slammed. 

“Sean, what’s going on?” I asked in a shaking voice, my nerves more than just evident. 

Sean sighed and walked over, crushing me into a tight hug while nuzzling my hair. “It appears that someone wasn’t too happy with you staying here… Good thing we’re packed and ready to leave, eh?” Sean chuckled sadly as he pulled away and went to go retrieve our bags that he had left by the door. “C’mon, let’s go.” He stated, passing over my bags and leading me away from the house I called home for the past week. 

As we hailed down a cab I could hear Sean mumbling about how someone overreacted to a joke of his and how it was just a harmless joke. I made the choice not to question it as we began our journey home.

Our arrival back in England was rather uneventful apart from Sean dragging me to his place to meet Signe, Felix and Marzia before dropping me off at the train station so I could make my own way back home. 

“Let’s hope the next time we meet up with Mark, it won’t be because I’m terrified for your life.” He joked, pulling me into another crushing hug. He really didn’t like goodbyes. I chuckle and give him a small nod in return before continuing on my journey. 

My home was rather cosy, just a small flat with all the basic furnishings where a cat would sometimes sneak in for a nap. It was a friendly but lazy brown furred feline that tended to cling to me and sit on my shoulders whenever I was close by, it always seemed to be on the lookout as if danger was only a moment away despite my flat being quite safe.

A satisfied groan left my lips as I plopped down on my old sofa, enjoying the feeling of being off my feet after a good few hours of standing on a train. I was grateful for the silence. Being stuck with two relatively energetic guys was fun but my head needed a break. My phone didn’t seem to get the memo, however, because a moment after I sat down it let out the tone which signifies that someone has messaged me.

  
  


**MooMoo**

**Hey...**

**Sorry I never said goodbye :(**

**There was just too much going on.**

**Not to mention that Sean ran off with you.**

**Just…**

**Come back soon, okay? :(**

 

Hey Mark...

It’s fine, you had things going on.

Is everything okay? :(

 

**I guess?**

**I’m just stressed out**

**And I’m missing my new friend!**

**I was hoping to give you a happy sendoff...**

 

Maybe next time, okay?

I’m going to get some sleep now. Jetlag. 

 

I turn off my phone and quickly have a bath before throwing myself onto my bed. A sigh quickly fell out of me as I wrapped myself into a burrito in my fluffy blanket, enjoying the sensation on my skin. It wasn’t long before I was back to unconsciousness. 

 

_ Things seemed to be a bit clearer this time around but not much as I slid out of the bed. A pain ran through my head.  _ A hangover from the night before most likely. _ I wasn’t sure why the thought came into my head but it wasn’t important. I was quick to leave the bedroom and complete my conversation with the butler that always gave me an odd tasting glass of liquid but I wasn’t worried about that.  _

_ My gaze fell upon the angel, looking amazing as ever in the bright light. Oddly enough, a light blue glow seemed to emit from him. “...Damien?” My voice sounded out before I could stop myself from speaking. My voice didn’t feel exactly like my own as if I was forcing myself to talk through one of my silent spells. It was like grit on my tongue.  _

_ But the angel responded to my call by turning around with a bright smile on his face. I immediately froze in place once his face came into view.  _ It is Damien! What the heck is going on?! _ I thought as Mark’s face smiled brightly at me and began to talk. It finally clicked that the events that happened before me were the events in Who Killed Markiplier. I willingly walked myself through the situations again, becoming sassy as possible with my responses once I realised that they acted as if I was still mute. I would have laughed if I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen.  _

_ Soon came time for me to watch the Colonel become insane once again. As much as I wanted to rush forward and help him, I didn’t have control over my body. He did. Dark did. After the mirror cracked and I watched Dark walk away in what was once my body, I was flung back into the bright room where I’d keep my distance from the icy, desaturated figure that was Darkiplier.  _

_ “Why? Why are you showing me this?!” I scream out at him, tears coating my cheeks just like they had been every morning for a year. Dark didn’t move, he didn’t even dare change from his resting face. “SAY SOMETHING!” I demand, getting in front of his face as I gripped his lapels harshly, trying to keep up a strong facade but soon enough it broke and I sobbed out, falling to the floor at his feet, feeling powerless under his constant stare. _

_ The male in front of me fell to his own knees as his hands gently gripped my shoulders. “Do you understand now? I’m trying to stop history repeating.” He muttered as he petted the top of my head as if he was trying to comfort me. “I’m only trying to help you.” _

_ “But why me…? Seeing that over and over again… it’s torture…” I say weakly as tears continue pouring out from my eyes. My head fell softly against Dark’s chest as he held me close to him.  _

_ A sigh sounded out from the demon as he contemplated on what to say. “I’m sure Will has given you enough information on that matter.” He says, observing me as my face scrunches in thought. Quickly enough my eyes widened as I slowly looked up at him, pulling away from him as I did so.  _

_ “No…. nonononono…” I nervously chuckle out as I scramble to my feet to get away from the attractive demon. “You have got to be joking… I’m not the DA!” I exclaim, backing away as fast as I could but the smoke that emitted from wrapped around me and held me in place despite my struggles. _

_ Dark rolled his neck around his shoulders, cracking his neck as he did so. “Having a corpse for a body is so fun…” He sarcastically muttered as he quickly paced over to me. “You are. Or rather a version of you was. Hopping between realities is a confusing thing.” He stated coldly, his arms crossing behind his back as he regards me. “You already know what happened to that you. You even know what happened to another version of you. There’s a reason you got that Chocolate Ending on A Date with Markiplier.” He stated again, this time rolling his eyes at the mention of the quirky video series. “I should thank Wilford, his newly established connection with you has allowed me to… have a larger presence in this realm. Even if it’s your dream realm. It works as a relatively decent means of communication, even if it’s easily interrupted.”  _

_ As if to prove his point, the sound of my ringtone echoed out and the area around us began to crack. I give Dark one last glance as I fall back into the waking world. _

 

A groan left me as I throw my hand onto my phone, dragging it across the nightstand and onto the pillow near me. I quickly answered and place the call on speaker so I didn’t need to hold the thing to my ear. “Hello…?” I croaked out, my just awoken state obvious in my voice. 

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” Mark’s tired voice rang out from the phone speakers. I made a sound of confirmation as I nuzzled the pillow, trying to get comfortable. “Sorry again. I just… I felt so bad that the last you heard of me was me shouting…” I heard him sigh out in frustration, the sound of a panting dog letting me know that Chica was nearby. “Not now Chica-Pica. Daddy’s too tired to play…” Mark mumbled out, sounding more tired than when he greeted me. 

A small chuckle left my lips, I voiced out a mutter about how cute he was being under my breath before actually speaking. “It’s fine, I swear. So… what happened to even cause the fight?” My question received a small groan from the American.

“I’d rather not get into it but let’s just say that Jack made a joke about us having a thing for each other without knowing someone was nearby and they didn’t like what he had to say.” He groaned out as if he regretted telling me.  _ So that’s why Sean was mumbling about a joke.  _ “Personally, I saw nothing wrong with the joke! It’s a joke after all. Plus, it’s not like we haven’t acted a bit like a couple. That cuddle was sure… intimate? I dunno… I’m a bit too tired to think clearly right now.”

So, he finally decided to talk about it… A sigh left my lips as I thought. “Yeah about that… I wasn’t thinking, y’know? Just woken up and still needed sleep and there’s someone who’s comfy and warm…” My sentence was cut off there by my conversation partner.

“I’m comfy?” He chirped out, the information strangely seemed to cheer him up.

“Yeah, like a big teddy bear. I couldn’t help but fall asleep… Speaking of sleep...” My voice trailed off as I made a point of yawning near the microphone so he got the hint.

“Right! Right… um yeah, I guess I need some and I did wake you up so... go get some yourself. Hope you get some sweet dreams! Bye!” He sang out, I said my own goodbye before hanging up and snuggling against my pillow. I quickly fell back asleep as if sleep had kept its firm grasp on me throughout the phone call. 

 

_ The area around me was thick with the smell of pollen and freshly cut grass. The large, elegant buildings that surrounded the park seemed to be swallowing the small patch of green land. Everything about the surroundings was calming, the warm weather and singing birds helping to add to the effect.  _

_ An arm gently wrapped itself around my shoulder and pulled me closer to the arm’s owner. My gaze refused to turn as if I already knew whose arm it was. “It’s rather gorgeous today, isn’t it, friend?” His voice rang out, full of warmth and happiness that suited it so wonderfully.  _ Damien… _ I turn my head slightly to look up at the angel of a man.  _ It’s such a shame about what happens… _ My thoughts drift off as my eyes carelessly fell down to look at his lips. It seemed as if I was reliving one of the DA’s memories and I probably was right. “Going through another one of your silent phases, huh? Shame… I’m already missing your voice, my dear.” He muttered out, glancing down at me. _

_ My body, in reply, just nuzzled his chest as I allowed myself to be pulled into a very welcoming hug.  _ **He’s adorable when he’s like this. Then again, he’s always adorable. Why can’t he notice how I feel about him?** _ Another voice echoed out in my head, her tone filled with such love and adoration.  _ The DA… She never got to tell him how she felt, did she… _ I thought as I took a metaphorical step back, just listening to the pair interact back and forth.  _

**_“Adorable… however, this ends here.”_ ** _ Dark’s voice chimes out as the surroundings warp into the inside of a building I didn’t recognise. “Welcome to Markiplier HQ, my dear.  Or rather a mimic of it. I’m sure you’ll end up in the real building at some point. If you decided to help us that is.” Dark stated, pacing in front of me as he spoke. He placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know you’ll do the right thing. For the sake of your… friends. I’ll leave you alone for now, sweetheart. But I will be back.” He said coldly, promising his return as I plunged into the void of a dreamless sleep.  _


	5. Mute and Work

You’d think that work would be difficult for me considering my rather tired state that some believed to be natural for me but my work was rather easy. Especially if I was paired up with Klaus as he grew to adapt to my tiredness. 

One thing I haven’t grown used to is the night shifts at the hospital. No one really understood why but the nights always seemed to be terrifying, even if only slightly. Everything from the smell of disinfectant to the heaviness of the stagnant air seemed to increase as the night enclosed over the building. 

A hospital was supposed to be a place of healing, a place that makes people feel better but at night they seemed to be the opposite - a place of pain and death like the hospitals of old. Also, it didn’t help that certain parts of the hospital had been closed off years ago, have become rundown and now have ghost stories about it. I was unfortunately reminded of those stories tonight when some teenagers decided to try and distract their friend who had been hospitalised. 

The story was rather basic in all honesty but it was the fact that it was the most realistic one that bothered me. It was a simple story about a doctor that had been driven insane by hearing voices, most likely that he suffered from auditory hallucinations due to a mental illness, and eventually he cracked and went on a murder spree, killing patients with little to no care as to who they were and it was said that at the end of it all he eventually killed himself and that his ghost haunted the rundown wings of the hospital.  

A sigh left my lips as I stared out at the door which led to the closed off part of this old hospital. There were soon going to be construction to restore that part of the building and bring it into the modern era with the rest of the hospital but that was still a month away from starting.

I was very tempted to walk through that part of the building, just to see what it was really looked like if it was as run down as they say or if it was just slightly worn down from a lack of use.

“You okay there, Fräulein? You keep staring at that door.” Klaus’s voice sounds out, causing me to jump from the suddenness of his presence. Before I knew it I could feel a small burn at the back of my throat as if I needed a ton of water. I had gone mute again. I quickly gesture to him that I was fine and that I couldn’t talk before rushing back to the nurse’s station to grab my phone so I had an audible means of communicating. 

Upon grabbing my phone I noticed that Mark had tried to contact me as my phone notified me of multiple missed calls. A silent groan left my lips, knowing that the goof would be losing his mind with worry because I wasn’t speaking to him. I shake my head in frustration as I walk over to my more than frequent patient, Ms Thomson.

Ms Thomson was an elderly widow whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to land herself in hospital in the most ridiculous ways possible. It was actually how she met her late husband, a doctor and previous employer of mine. It really seemed that she purposely got herself hurt just so she’d have an opportunity to speak to me, she did see me as one of her own at points. 

As I walk into the room with a calm smile I could already feel annoyance creep up my spine as I was greeted with the elderly woman trying to use a coat hanger to reach something from across the room.  _ Where did she even get the coat hanger? _ I thought as I quickly grabbed the remote that was her target and handing it to her, swapping the coat hanger with it so I could confiscate the damned piece of twisted metal. I quickly pull out my phone and use one of Mark’s voice clips as a greeting before quickly tidying up the room around me. 

“Poor dear, you’ve lost your voice again?” She croaked out, her voice was raspy with age and the fact she was a heavy smoker up until her husband died of lung cancer. I give her a quick nod, shrugging to let her know that I wasn’t bothered before making sure she had everything she needed for a comfortable stay. “Have you found a boyfriend yet, sweetie?” If it wasn’t relatives, it was Ms Thomson asking that damned question. 

I shake my head and give her a small sad smile. I was actually rather glad that I had gone mute at this point, Ms Thomson was nice and all but she was overly nosy but also sympathetic to my mute status so my lack of being able to reply usually kept her questions to a minimum but as soon as I’m able to talk again I will be buried under a mountain of questions. 

I quickly finish what I need to do in the woman’s room before heading off to the next patient. My other patients were less chaotic and tended to stay still in their beds as they grumbled about how uncomfortable the things were or how they wanted to be home, I couldn’t blame them at all. 

Soon I found myself at the end of my shift and practically glaring at the door to the closed part of the hospital - my curiosity growing with each passing moment. 

Quickly enough I found myself barging through the metal door and sprinting down the abandoned hallway which grew more and more decrepit with each inch I ran. I skidded to a stop and found myself in a large room which seemed to be the original reception. The roof was threatening to cave in and damp coated each wall but it was still grand and I could easily imagine how looked all those years ago.

A gulp bobbed up and down in my throat as I span around slowly to get a better look at the room around me. 

A faint whistle sounded out behind me, causing me to spin around in a slight panic. Beside the door was a guy facing the other way to me, backing up as he took in his surroundings. “Never thought I’d see a place this busted outside a video game…” An Irish accent left his lips, his voice reminding me of Sean’s but there was a glitchiness to his voice.  _ Another DarkTuber? _ I thought to myself as I’m reminded of Antisepticeye. I felt that it was strangely appropriate that he was in a hospital, even if it was in a part that was abandoned and falling apart. Finally, he turned to face me. “Oh hello there!” A sadistic grin stretched across his lips as he made his way over to me.

Anti, much like Dark, had this aura which was meant to be intimidating but after so long of bickering with Dark, I just found it annoying. His skin was tinted with the colour green, much like the sclera of one of his eyes.  _ Ugh… Why couldn’t it be Jameson or Chase…? _ My thought-self groaned as I watched Anti’s movements as he prowled closer. Soon I found myself backing away from the green-tinted demon. 

“Oh… Don’t worry lass, I won’t hurt you.” He cooed out as he allowed glitches to consume him. Soon I felt a small tap on my nose as the man let out a small ‘boop’.  _ Did Anti really just boop me?! _ I thought, now glaring at the twisted version of my best friend. “What? Did you really think I’d hurt you? I mean sure, that would piss Dark off to no end which is something I aim to do but I don’t want the fucker to kill me!” He exclaimed, holding his hands around his throat as if to protect the already damaged flesh. He tilted his head in thought for a moment before looking around at the decrepit surrounding. 

A green tinted fog held back the pitch black smoke that tried to invade the area. The two substances seemed to fight back and forth but the green seemed to weaken slightly.

Anti gulped as a small sheen of sweat began to form on his forehead. “That’s not good… There’s more than one way of pissing Dark off.” He muttered to himself, glancing back at me with a huge sly grin crossed his face. Soon a thicker version of the green fog surrounding us, blocking out our surroundings entirely. If my eyes were closed I wouldn’t have noticed a thing. Just as quickly as the fog surrounded us, it dissipated to show a rather cosy looking flat around us.  _ My home.  _ “Ah… home sweet home!” Anti exclaimed, falling backwards into my armchair with his arms falling over the sides of the armrests. 

I cross my arms and glare at the Irish demon - if I could talk I would demand answers. 

The green man groaned and looked back at me. “What?” He barked out, for some reason being the annoyed one in this situation. As a reply, I motion to our surroundings before glaring back at the glitch. “Oh… Don’t worry about it. I just brought us here because Dark can’t get in. He needs to be let in. Y’know… typical demon stuff. I’m more of an… Imp than a demon like he is. Plus, your close connection to Sean lets me get close to you.” He explained as he stretched out his limbs. “I mean, I’ve been closer to you before.” Anti threw me a sly smirk as he allowed the green fog to surround him. 

Once he disappeared, the local cat sat in his place. It’s tail flicking up and down slightly as it watched me. My face paled as I realised Anti was telling me that he was the cat. I quickly shake my head and glare at him again. The cat’s face seemed to grin as it made its way over and jumped up onto my shoulders. 

**Don’t worry lass. I won’t hurt you.** Anti’s voice echoed in my head. His sentence from the hospital made a bit more sense. I didn’t care to register the small piece of warmth that it held but now it made sense. I, without knowing that the cat was Anti, befriended the feline. I gave him food and shelter when a good portion of people would probably just throw him out. It made me feel a bit sorry for him. A silent sigh left my lips as I thoughtlessly patted the feline’s head just as I had done so many times before. 

I glanced over towards the window to see that the sun was rising, and after pulling a less than graceful face, I placed Anti down on my sofa and quickly rushed to my bathroom to clean up before heading to my room for a nap. I was feeling more than grateful that I didn’t have another shift until the next day - A day shift. 

 

_ The area around me was pitch black as if I was in the void again. It had been a small while since I had been here so I was curious about whether if Damien was okay or not. I was able to move but it was difficult as if I was wading through sludge, and the thick black goop stuck to my legs and waist as I made my way deeper and deeper into the void.  _ Damien?! _ My thoughts called out, echoing into the vastness. _ Old friend? Are you there?! _ I called out once again, hoping he’d respond to the familiar words.  _

_ “Old friend… You came back…” The faint blue glow surrounded me and weakly pulled me out of the sludge. A light orange glow seemed to emit from me as the blue light clung on as if Damien was trying to hug me. “You came back…” He whispered out, a small sob echoing out afterwards.  _

Don’t cry… _ I thought, wishing I could hug him back and actually comfort him. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. He didn’t deserve this. He was a good person! Both him and Wil were good people!  _

_ Tears quickly welled up in my eyes and escaped down my cheeks as my memory kept crawling back to the events at that place - the manor. I sobbed silently, wishing I could just go to before that party and warn Damien and the Colonel not to show up, warn them that nothing good was going to come from seeing their version of Mark again but I couldn’t change the past.  _

_ Damien’s warmth filled whispers tried their hardest to comfort me, to reduce my tears but his kindness only made me cry more. He reminded me so much of my Mark as he whispered similar things of comfort like Mark did that night almost two weeks ago now. _ I wish I could help… _ I think, trying to move away from the fading blue light. “I know, old friend. You’ve always tried your hardest to help. I think that’s one of the main reasons I adore you, you’re always helping people…” Damien muttered happily as he thought about his past, the memories of his beloved DA making him glow brighter slightly before the glow dimmed once again. “With that… Demon… still holding on to the rest of my soul and Mark still in my body… I’m stuck here. All alone. Celine disappeared when she sent us into your body. That damned demon snuck in with us, pushing you out and ripping my soul in half… using my rage and need for revenge to fuel him…” He cried out, lamenting over that day. Lamenting over his forced betrayal.  _

_ “I just want to make things right.” Damien muttered out, the blue glow now gaining a more human shape. It was clear that he was wiping away tears from his cheeks before his gaze was back on me. “H-How’s… How’s William? I hope nothing bad has happened to the dear Colonel!” He weakly chirped out, trying to distract both of us from our memories. _

He goes by Wilford now. Wilford Warfstache. He’s a reporter. The events at the manor… scarred him. _ I allow the words to echo out, looking away from the mayor’s broken soul for just a moment as I think back to my newly made pastel wearing friend. I was curious as to how he’d react if I told him that I had spoken to Damien but it was probably best if I kept quiet about that.  _

_ “I see… Well, at least he’s doing well!” The mayor chirped out, trying his best to remain optimistic despite his circumstances. Indeed! My thoughts replied as I gazed up at him. The sound of two men echoed throughout the area as a green fog coated the black sludge beneath us. I need to go, I’ll try and come back soon. I tell the angel of a man before allowing myself to fall back into the waking world.  _

 

I fumbled out of my bedroom to find Anti and Dr Schneeplestein arguing in my living room while a shocked dapper looking man looked on from the sidelines. I quickly made my way over to Jameson, tapping on his shoulder gently before I gave him a questioning glance. He gave me an exaggerated shrug before pulling me into a tight hug as a way of saying hello. Jameson, despite being the newest of Sean’s egos, and being possessed by Anti, was one of my favourites. 

An hour passed before the two egos calmed down enough to realise that I had been watching them, and surprisingly enough, both became rather bashful about it. Apparently, they had been arguing over Anti essentially living with me without my permission. I could assume that Jameson told Henrik about Anti but no one, annoyingly, went into detail about how much the egos knew about Anti staying here. 

Henrik was very calm about the situation and made sure say things that only needed a simple nod or shake of the head as a response. I wasn’t really a fan of the doctor, perhaps it’s because of my own work ethic but I much prefered it when I just believed he was a character of Sean’s rather than his own person. 

The German-Irishman bid his goodbyes after giving Anti a warning to behave or he’d send Marvin over to use magic on him. The ‘glitch bitch’ was quick to turn into a cat again and take his place laying across my shoulders as if was the most natural thing for him to do, which I highly doubted it was but I just mentally shrugged it off and held a small tea party with Jameson.

Having another mute person as company was odd but pleasant with all his exaggerated actions. 

Soon enough, my new mute friend had to leave as well but he promised to return. A sigh left my lips once the door closed, my voice finally easing up and coming back to me as a plopped down on the sofa, Anti curling up and resting on my stomach purring contently as I stroked his brown fur. If it wasn’t for the green glow that emitted from him, I could easily forget that he was, as he called himself, an imp. I hummed quietly to myself as I reached for a notebook and pen that had been resting on the nearby coffee table and began doodling the time away.

The warm and comforting air of my flat was shattered when a loud, rapid knock sounded off from my front door. I rushed over to the door, knocking Anti off in the process, and opening it to reveal a panicked Mark panting and holding onto the wall beside my door. “Fischbach? What…?” I gasp out as I pull him inside the flat, forcing him to sit on a chair in my kitchen as I collect a glass of water for him. “What are you doing in England?” I ask as I watch him finish gulping down the drink.

“You never replied to my calls… I panicked…” Mark panted out, looking down as he did as if he was guilty or embarrassed about the fact he panicked to the point he got a plane over. “I was worried… with the fact that a guy had been following you and all…” He trailed off, wincing possibly at the thought of what could've happened to me.

“Sorry… I had work during the night, I only recently woke up.” I lied, unsure as to how to explain the fact that one of Sean’s egos was living with me while two others made a brief visit. I pat his head slightly, pushing the hair out of the way of his sweaty face. “You big goof... You didn’t need to fly out or run here…” I mutter as I walk around the table and pull him into a tight hug.  _ He really is too selfless for his own good. _ I thought as I pat his hair slightly, humming to myself as his arms wrap around my waist and pull me closer to him. I felt my face begin to burn up from the close contact but I brush it off, he was a taken man and me gaining feelings for him would only make our friendship awkward.

My thoughts quickly flashed back to the relationship between the DA and Damien. I was rather worried that my relationship with Mark would end up taking a similar turn, me loving him and him seemingly not even noticing.   _ Did he know that she loved him? Did he even love her back? _ My thoughts were interrupted and my breath hitched slightly as I was pulled down onto Mark’s lap, his face gazing down at mine, concerned.   
His eyes shone with worry as his lips were pulled down into a small frown. “You okay?” Mark asked, his hand running gently through my hair. My slightly red face was now scarlet as I keep my gaze on him. I nod slightly and then proceed to bury my face in the crook of his neck to hide my blush, not caring if his skin was slightly damp from his sprint over here from the airport.  _ Well, at least now we can have a happy goodbye... _


	6. Forced Time Off

_ Darkness surrounded me just like it always did in the void but something felt different. Like a terrible presence had made its home here.  _ Dark…? _ My thoughts echoed out, the sound of static now present confirming my suspicions. A silent sigh left my lips as I gazed around, trying to see if there was anyone around.  _

_ The sound of footsteps coming closer drew my attention to the direction they came from. A blue and red outline alerted me to the fact that it was Dark. “You shouldn’t be here.” He stated coldly, not looking anywhere at me but rather the pale blue light that was only a small distance away from him. “You shouldn’t exist at all - not anymore.” Dark’s voice turned to a distorted hiss as he glared at what was left of Damien.  _

_ A gulp bobbed up and down in my throat, the need to protect the innocent mayor growing with each passing moment. My gaze fell to the floor to check to see if my legs were coated in the typical sludge to see that they were clear of any residue, my attention was ripped back up to the demon and the mayor as the sound of static grew more intense. Any panic I had grew wildly as I saw that Dark was reaching for the fading blue light, without so much as a thought my body sprinted forward only to run into something invisible.  _

_ In a massive panic, I bashed my hands against the force field that kept me from protecting Damien. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched Dark’s hand draw closer.  _ No! Don’t hurt him! NO!!! _ My thoughts screamed up but neither could hear me.  _

 

The sound of someone worryingly calling me broke me away from unconsciousness. A groan left my lips as I tried swatting away the person before turning over and burying my face in my pillow. A deep baritone chuckle sounded out before warm hands tried turning me over. “Nooooo…” I whined out, glaring at the man sleepily just to see him smile brightly at me. 

“Come on, sleepy butt.” Mark beamed out as he tried to pull me from my comfy bed. He ignored my whines as he carried me out to my kitchen and placed me down at the table, laughing when my head fell against the wood. Soon the room was filled with the smell of pancakes and tea. A groan sounded out of my throat as I looked up at the American man which was making breakfast. “You’ve got work today, yeah?” He asked, gazing over his shoulder at me as he flipped yet another pancake. 

I nod and watch at Anti, still in his cat form, made his way over to me and jumped on my lap, purring as he did. “Yep.” My eyebrows furrow as I look into the living room to check the clock. 6 AM. “I have a few hours before I need to leave…” I mutter, my hand thoughtlessly petting the imp on my lap. 

A sound of confirmation left Mark’s lips as he brought over two plates of pancakes. “So, we have some time to hang out!” He chirped, sending another bright grin my way. I threw him my own smile and nodding at the same time.   

Soon we found ourselves leaning against each other while I played Fallout 3, Mark adding colourful commentary as my character went. My flat was filled with laughter after my character got sent into the sky from the every buggy game physics when the sound of my phone ringing cut through the air. I quickly rushed to get it to find Klaus was calling me. 

“Hello?” 

_ “Heya, Fräulein! Have you started making your way to work yet?”  _ Klaus spoke out, sounding frustrated at something but his question made me suspicious. 

I knew that there was a chance that he was going to try and prank me but I decided to play along, see what cliche he’d try to hit me with. “No…? Why?”

_ “Someone thought it would be funny to burn down the broken downside of the hospital without realising that a functioning hospital was attached to it. So, we’re out of a job for a while unless we ask for temporary transfers!”   _ His tone was filled with a mild anger, possibly at the thought of having to work with complete strangers. The staff at the hospital were rather close so it’s only understandable that we didn’t like the idea of working with new people.

Breath caught in the back of my throat as I tried to comprehend the situation. “Why in the bloody hell…?” My voice went high pitched and cracked slightly in confusion as to why someone would burn a building at all, especially one that didn’t even belong to them.

_ “No idea… Anyway, just thought I’d let you know! Bis bald!”  _ His tone quickly became chipper as he said his goodbyes before hanging up rather abruptly, leaving me even more confused. 

“Bye...” I breathed out, freezing in place after arms wrapped around my torso and pulled me into a warm, firm chest. I made a sound of confusion as I looked up at the man who had randomly decided to hug me from behind. “Um… Turns out, I have no work for a little bit. Who burns down a hospital...” I muttered as I leaned against him. 

The sound of a baritone hum sounded out, the rumble of it vibrating against my back. “That is weird… I’m sorry that you’ll be missing out on work…” Mark said, sounding genuinely apologetic as he turned me around and pulled me into a proper hug.  _ Why’s he being so clingy…? I don’t mind it, it’s just… odd.  _ I thought as I let out a small hum and nuzzle against the crook of his neck. The warmth radiating from him and his scent lulling me into the embrace of comfort and relaxation, cutting away at the confusion and shock which held tightly at my body.

Soon enough we found ourselves back to just playing random games while the other gave commentary, warm laughter once again filling my flat. My heart was pounding in my chest as I leaned up against the American as we both laughed our heart out as the game we were playing was glitching out wildly. Mark’s eyes shined brightly, reflecting their perfect chocolate colour against the sunlight which tried to flood the room, I found myself starting to lean closer still to him before I froze, noticing how close my face was to his. I buried my head in the crook of his neck, faking an attempt at trying to control my laughter while really trying to hide the blush that rose heavily against my cheeks. 

“God I love you…” Mark breathes out, his laughter struggling to be controlled as he gazed down at me. “Hangingoutwithyou! I love hanging out with you!” He laughed out nervously as he gazed around frantically. “Is it just me or is it hot in here?” The dark haired male gulped nervously, moving slightly away while I was frozen there, my face a deep scarlet and my gaze never leaving the TV. My thoughts were nothing but a collection of weird noises and internal screaming. 

Anti brought me out of my daze once his feline form jumped onto my lap. “Hey…” I said under my breath as I patted his head lightly, not entirely sure as to what to do. “I need some air.” I said quickly, rushing to my room to get dressed and then rushing out of the front door, Anti hot on my tail. 

I quickly found myself outside the burnt hospital after a small run. Anti walked out in front of me, finally going back to his human form while stretching and groaning. “Finally, some time out of the flat!” He practically mewled out as he kept stretching. “Don’t get me wrong, I love time at home but holy shit is it warms as balls in there!” He laughed out, his gaze falling on my still blushing face. “Uh…” He gulped awkwardly, looking around possibly for something to distract me before noticing something behind me and disappearing in a puff of green smoke. _ What the…? _

“Old chap?” A slurred American accent sounded out from behind me. Wilford! I quickly turn and greet the pastel wearing man to find that he was wearing his red and white striped jacket on top of his pastel attire. “How have you been?!” He asked, beaming down at me as he pulled me into a tight hug. 

“I’ve been good! My workplace has been burnt down but I’ve been good!” I chuckle out, pointing behind me towards the rubble of the hospital that was still smoking somewhat.

Wilford blinked as he gazed at the smoking rubble, his eyebrows furrowing as he took in the image. “Well now… that’s not good…” He mumbled to himself before he looked off in thought. After a click of his fingers, he exclaimed: “Why don’t you work for me as my assistant?!” His face was pulled up into a bright grin as he beamed down at me. He seemed rather giddy at the idea and my heart ached at the thought of making him upset. 

“S-sure!” I stutter out, my nerves evident but I doubt the eccentric man even noticed as he pulled me into a tight hug and spun me around.

The moustached man gave out a warm and hearty laugh as he spun us around. “Oh, we’re going to have so much fun working together!” He chirped out, his moustache raising with the huge grin on his face. Once he noticed my dizzy expression he put me down. “Now… who was that chap who was with you?” He asked, looking around to try and see if Anti was nearby. “He looked familiar…” He muttered, his jaw and moustache jutting out to the side as he gave our surroundings a look of suspicion. “Hm… I’m sure it was nothing! Now!” Wilford quickly turned his head to look at me, I was rather surprised he didn’t end up with whiplash with how fast he moved. “Let’s get to work, shall we?” He asked, holding one hand out for me to take while the other hand was in the air, fingers ready to click. 

The idea of spending some quality time with my favourite ego made me grin and happily accept his hand. Soon we were in the middle of a lightly coloured office, I could only assume that we were at Markiplier HQ at this point and standing in the middle of his office. Wilford rushed over to his desk that was located near the back wall that was made of glass and pulled out a mountain of paperwork. He regards it for a moment before looking at me seriously, his gaze never wavering as he pulled open one of his windows and casually dumped all the paperwork out onto the street below. 

“I hate paperwork.” He states simply before rummaging through his desk, a smile threatening to break out onto his face as he struggled not to laugh. A small giggle only escaping now and again as he searched for something. Soon he rushes over to me, a large colourful bag in hand and an, even more, colour lollipop hanging between his lips. “Meeting time!” His words were muffled by the candy but I could understand him clearly enough. Wilford’s unoccupied hand soon grabbed mine and dragged me off to a meeting room. 

Wilford placed the bag of candy near the front of the table, close to the TV and then sat next to the bag. “The others should be here soon!” He chirped and patted the spot on the table next to him, motioning for me to sit next to him. I quickly took my spot next to him and waited for the other egos to show up.

The first one to walk in was Google. Now that he had been updated, he didn’t seem to glitch out everywhere which I guess was a good thing considering he was a robot hellbent on destroying humanity. He didn’t even seem to notice Wilford and I as he took his place near the other end of the table. 

Black smoke wrapped around the chair at the head of the table, signifying Dark’s arrival. Once the smoke cleared, his form sat there. A rather cocky look crawled across his face once he noticed me.  _ He thinks I’ve chosen him over Mark…  _ My thought-self growled out, I was rather offended by the notion. Mark was not the same person that betrayed Damien and Wil, he had to of realised that, and considering he’s a demon and not Damien he should have no reason to actually go after him. 

My thoughts were broken once the other main egos made their way in. Some gazed over at me either intrigued or confused while the others simply ignored me. 

Dark laid his forearms on the table, linking his hands together while keeping his posture straight. “What’s your plan for this meeting, Wil?” Dark asked coldly, probably expecting Wilford to mention me in some regard. His aura taking over the back of the room slightly, making the egos next to him shift away a small bit. 

Wilford grinned and rushed to the side of the room, bringing over a large whiteboard on wheels. _ Oh god… what is he planning? I _ thought as I hopped off the table and walked to the other side of the whiteboard to hold it straight. Wil gave me a small nod of thanks before bringing out a marker. An absurd amount of time was spent with him going into detail about how Mark had a van so they should as well, and how they could make the ‘Ego Van’ superior to Mark’s. I was honestly wasn’t sure what tempted me to laugh more, the ridiculousness of another van like that in the world or the dumbfounded looks that coated the other ego’s faces.

My gaze fell onto Dark, something I’d regret as the sight of seeing him head planting the table repeatedly made me burst into a loud laughter, drawing all attention from Wilford and his silly plan to me. I wrapped my hand around my mouth in an attempt to try and steady myself as I brought my gaze up to my friend to see a large grin on his face. 

“I didn’t realise my jokes were that funny!” He beamed down at me before going back to presenting what each ego could do specifically for the van.  _ Never change Wil.  _ I thought to myself as I watched him energetically continue his presentation, unwavered by the reactions he was receiving. A warm smile spread across my face as I watched the pastel man move erratically as he presented. Soon his presentation drew to a close and he cheerfully looked towards Dark and the others, waiting for their opinion and possibly hoping for appraisal from the head of the table for his plan.  

Dark let out a sigh as he looked to the side and began to think of what to say.  _ Hurt his feelings and I hurt you…  _ I thought as I narrowed my eyes at the desaturated demon. His eyes met mine as if he could feel my glare against his cold skin, his eyes quickly flicked over to the pastel ego before speaking. “It’s… certainly something…”

“The idea of owning a vehicle at all, let alone one that can hold multiple passengers will prove useful in the long run and might help us with our primary objective in the future.” Google stated in his usual robotic tone, adjusting his glasses after they slipped down his nose. “And while the gimmick of messing with the van’s electrics and so on has been done by Mark, certain adjustments may prove useful to the longevity and practicality of the vehicle. Even if the idea behind the plan is simply to show up Mark by having a more ‘successful’ van than his.” The android finished his statement before glancing back at Dark, I hoped that his rather logical outlook had made it possible for this idea of Wilford’s to actually be accepted.

The suited man, other than Bim, gazed back at the whiteboard. Another, less audible, sigh left his lips as he took thought over Google’s words. After a small moment, he nodded. “I’ll consider purchasing a van for the HQ. Good idea, Wil. Egos dismissed.” He stated, a small hint of warmth in his voice when he praised Wilford. Perhaps a hint of Damien was showing through the demon’s actions, I could only hope. 

Wilford waited for the rest of the egos to leave the room before jumping up happily. “They liked it!” He cheered, grabbing onto me and pulling me into a crushing hug. “You must be my lucky charm, dear!” He cooed out, nuzzling his face into my hair. His cotton candy scent made its way to my nose, filling my senses with the smell of sugar. I should've found it nauseating but, considering everything, I found it rather comforting. Maybe it was just because the scent belonged to Wil. 

Soon the sound of clicking fingers sounded out, our surroundings quickly became his office once again. “You did brilliantly out there, Wil!” I exclaimed at him, patting the top of his head softly before sitting down on a light beige sofa that hung to the side of the room. I watched Wilford playfully bow before he plopped down on the seat by his desk as he glared at the paperwork which had probably been replaced by one of the more cold natured egos. He quickly threw me an apologetic look and explained that he’d be a little busy for a while so I should just make myself comfy. I lazily nod my head and gaze over to the small display shelf on the other side of the room. There seemed to be various framed photos of Wilford from his time as the Colonel with Damien and Celine. Some of the photos had been ripped or had ink spilt on them, possibly to get rid of the traces of the fourth person that had been in them - Their version of Mark. 

A loose photo rested on the side of a framed photo of the Colonel and Damien. The loose photo was had to see as it was at an angle but I could make out Damien’s shape and a female in a light grey suit. _ The DA?  _ My thoughts questioned as I gazed at the photo, it had aged poorly as if it had spent decades exposed to the air. 

“I found it at Damien’s place when I was first looking for him. It was on his desk… Along with a bunch of photos of you and him during your time at university. He was clearly looking forward to seeing you again, especially in an informal sense.” Wilford’s tone was clear and his speech wasn’t as slurred as he explained - Just like when he was the Colonel. 

I assumed that the serious situation and the fact he was busy with paperwork distracted him enough so he fell back to a version of the person he used to be. Back to William.

My gaze rested on the man for just a moment before gazing back at the shelf. The Colonel’s tinted glasses rested to the side of the shelf, the right lens cracked and the left lens half missing. _ It was like they were thrown at a wall or something.  _ Soon my eyes were brought down to something by the small shine that shimmered from it as the sunlight from outside touched it. It looked to be a broken watch, it looked rather similar to the one I had resting on my nightstand back at home, a gift from a person I couldn’t remember.

“Bully! I just remembered!” Wilford - or rather the Colonel, considering his tone and use of words - chirped out as he rushed over to the display shelf, grabbing the watch and throwing it over to me. “You left that in your room at the manor, you silly!” He chuckled out as he went back to his desk to finish off his paperwork.

“U-Um… Will. I’m going to go for a small walk around the building, I need to familiarise myself with it. I’ll be right back!” I explained as I, for some reason, thoughtlessly strapped the old watch around my right wrist and proceeded to make my way to the door once I heard a sound to confirm that Wilford had heard me speak. I rushed down the hallway and into the elevator, pressing the button to go to the ground floor - I needed some air. __

The elevator was quiet apart from the low hum of electricity that fueled the thing, I glance up at the screen above the buttons and groaned. He worked on the top floor of a twenty-floor building and the elevator wasn’t exactly fast. “Going somewhere?” A deep, slightly distorted voice sounded out from next to me, making me jump. _ Dammit Dark!  _ I cursed at him in my head as I placed my hand on my pounding heart on my chest. “Why are you here? Finally realised that Mark wasn’t the shining angel he made you believe he was?” He asked mockingly as if he had been waiting for me to come crawling to him.

_ “ _ Actually, Wil hired me as his assistant.” I said, glaring at the monitor showing the floor number as I absentmindedly played with the wristwatch. 

A small growl sounded out from beside me before a cracking neck could be heard.  _ That damned neck roll. Oh well, I guess that’s what happens when you possess a body with a broken neck that’s been dead for ten or so hours.  _ I thought as I glanced over at the demon. Though, the thought of him being a demon did raise some questions. _ If he never snuck in alongside Damien, would things have been different? Would the DA have been pushed out still or would he work with them to get his body back?  _ I was very curious but I would probably never find out the answers and I’d have to confront Damien and Dark if I was going to try. 

I wanted to help the Colonel and Damien as much as I could. It broke my heart to see a part of Damien be so close to Wil and Wil not even knowing. Poor guy didn’t even know what happened to the DA, let alone accept the fact that he killed her. A thought suddenly came to mind.

_ I have to do something... And the best place to start off is trying to find that damn manor!  _   
  



	7. Hello Again, Partner

It took ages to convince Wilford to take me back home, luckily my body threatening to collapse from exhaustion did the trick and made him promptly send me home, unfortunately, he didn’t send me to bed. Instead I landed straight into a sleeping Mark’s lap, fortunately, in his tired state, he didn’t question it. 

I decided that since Mark was a guest that he was going to sleep in the bed. It was only fair. Unfortunately for me, he’s not the lightest person around so it took longer than my exhausted body could cope as by the time we got towards my bedroom door I began to fall, both into unconsciousness and onto the floor.

 

_ The feeling of dread overwhelmed me as I looked around the void, the same darkness that I knew Damien lived in, the same darkness which I couldn’t see his fading blue glow.  _ Please tell me he hasn’t fully faded…!  _ My thoughts never echoed out as they always did in the void. My heart began to pound in my chest, fearful for the mayor’s safety. I hadn’t known him long but I was already very attached to him. The similarities between him and my Mark didn’t help.  _

_ “Lass, why are you in the void?” A distorted Irish voice sounded out from behind me, alerting me to the fact a certain glitchy imp was nearby.  _

_ Without much thought, I turned to look at the green-tinted dark version of my Irish friend. “Anti, you disappeared on me.” I huffed out, crossing my arms. “Anyway, Dark must have accidentally linked my dreams to this place once he was able to talk to me from them.” I tried to explain, not entirely sure on my wording as I watched Anti’s head tip to the side in confusion.   _

_ The imp shook his head slightly as he tried to process my words, looking around as he did so. “Aye, sorry I left you like that. Wilford is a scary bastard and I really didn’t want to have to deal with him informing Dark of my presence.” Anti says apologetically, trying to look down at his feet to see the dark sludge sticking to them. A small groan left his lips, a small mumble about how he was wearing borrowed clothes and how the owner would hate him.  _

_ It still struck me as weird that I really didn’t have a problem being around him, but that might be because of the fact I had him around me for months without incident. My plan crossed my mind and despite my hesitance, I knew there was no better person to ask for help. “Hey, Anti?” I muttered out, looking around in case the suited demon dared to make an appearance. A small hum sounded out from the imp, letting me know that I did, in fact, have his attention. “Can you help me search somewhere? It’s an abandoned manor, I just need to find it.” I mumble out, glancing up at the green-tinted Irishman.  _

_ “Sure! I love abandoned places! But, um… Let’s wait for you to wake up first. I’ll need you to sketch it out for me to find it.” Anti explained as he tried to yank his feet out of the dark, thick, sticky substance that coated the floor. “Ugh… I hate the void!” He yelled out, his voice glitching out in frustration, his body bouncing slightly as if that was going to help him in the situation he found himself stuck in.  _ Are people meant to be scared of this guy?  _ I thought to myself, now more than glad that my thoughts were once again private.  _

_ Soon enough I found myself falling back into the slime below me, Anti’s head planting itself against my stomach as he groaned in annoyance. “Well, there’s little we can do about this…” I muttered, slowly prying my right arm away from the gunk that clung to it. If Anti couldn’t get his leg out, I doubt I was going to be standing again. “I need to wake up.” I speak aloud, looking around for something that could possibly do the trick only to see the same nothingness that was ever present in the void. The imp leaning against me huffed out before glitching away from the muck and proceeded to float in the air once he was free.  _

_ The next while was filled with bickering between me and the silly imp who forgot he could have just glitched away from the sludge to begin with.  _

_ Our jovial bickering was interrupted by a small yawn that left my lips. “Tired?” Anti asked, his head tilting in thought. Suddenly his head perked up as if he had just thought of something. “Sorry about this lass, but we need to try and get you out of here!” The green-tinted man said quickly as he glitched over to me. “Don’t hate me…” He muttered and before I knew it, a fist was coming towards my face. _

 

I jolted awake, my heart pounding in my chest as my hand instinctively covered the part of my face that should’ve been hurting. _Damn it Anti…_ My thoughts groaned as I pulled myself away from my bed. _Didn’t I fall asleep on the floor?_ I pondered as I made my way over to the living room making sure not the disturb the sleeping man that I was sharing the bed with.

The smell of cooking brought my feet to walk towards the kitchen to see several men trying to make breakfast, with varying degrees of success. A small amount of weight on my shoulder alerted me to the fact that Anti was resting on my shoulder in his adorable cat form. 

“Hello, boys!” I chirped out, happy to see that the Septic Egos were getting along despite my confusion. Henrik was working on trying some eggs while trying to help Chase cook pancakes, Robbie and Marvin were busy with the toaster and Jameson was busy placing everything on plates. I pat Anti’s head gently before I made my way over to the dining table.

The dapper ego quickly placed a plate of food in front of me before rushing off into the living room for some reason. I was glad that they were all quiet, even when they greeted me back, it would be a pain to try to explain this to Mark. 

Anti quickly jumped to the floor before taking a human form once again.  “What the shit is going on? Why are you all here?” The dark ego asked, rather annoyed that he wasn’t able to have some peace most likely. Chase was the only one to react as he glanced back at the glitch before pointing to Marvin with an apologetic smile. Anti groaned in annoyance and forced a green fog to surround his fellow egos. “As much as I’m sure my friend appreciates you making her breakfast, Mark’s here. Get lost!” He barked out once the green fog swallowed the egos up. 

The fog quickly dissipated to show that the egos have disappeared. Anti muttered to himself as he stalked over to the oven, finishing the cooking that his ‘brothers’ started. 

Silent moments went by before the imp made his way into the living, only coming back with some paper and a pencil. He placed it in front of me before shifting back into his feline form, looking at me expectantly. I gave him a small nod and began sketching the front of the manor, only taking breaks to eat. 

Once the sketch was done, Anti took the paper between his tiny canines before disappearing. I sat there, alone and quiet for a moment. Curious as to if Anti could find the cursed mansion that ruined so many lives. I certainly hoped he could but at the same time, I felt rather apprehensive. 

The sound of scraping ceramic on wood caused my eyes to snap up from my plate up to the American man that was now sitting in front of me. “Hey…” He muttered, his tone was unsure and it hurt my heart. 

“Hey,” I said simply, throwing him a small smile to try and ease his nerves. “I… Um… I got a new job, well, until the hospital is rebuilt.” He gave me a small smile, muttering how he was happy for me and asking what I was doing. “I’m acting as an assistant for a senior reporter. Nothing major.” I answered, making a hand gesture to make it seem like it’s nothing important so he didn’t ask too much of it. 

Hours passed but luckily the time allowed us to repair the cracks that were threatening to form in our friendship and now we sat on my sofa. I was playing around on my phone while Mark was raging at Mario Maker levels - again. A tune sounded out to let me know that I had received an email. 

 

           From: somehowliving@gmail.com

           To:awonderfuldayawaits@gmail.com

           Subject: Manor

 

Hello there, ma’am. 

This may sound odd but I have reason to believe that you’re looking into a case that my partner was involved in. This partner of mine died - killed by a psychopath with a gun - and I have been looking for this psychopath for a long time now. 

I have been informed by a man - who strangely was a cat when he showed up at my office - that you’re trying to find the scene of the crime. I’m not sure what you’re hoping to achieve by looking into this case or looking for that place but if you’re truly determined to look for this place, I can help. 

I couldn’t save them but it’s the least I can do to find out what happened to them. Let me help you. 

If you accept my help, email me back. 

Please, 

\- A

PS. Yes, I am using my personal email for this.

 

It confused me that Anti decided to show up at what seemed to be a detective’s office but if this ‘A’ knew where the manor was, then I couldn’t refuse his help. I quickly sent him an email to let him know that I was interested in his help. 

The rest of the day went quickly and soon enough I found myself at the airport saying goodbye to the goofy American that I adored. It wasn’t too long before I was back to sitting on my sofa, flicking through the channels on my TV - bored while waiting for Anti to show up.

In a puff of green smoke, I found myself in what seemed to be Booker DeWitt’s office.  _ Detective cliches. Yay…  _ I sarcastically thought as I got up from the chair by the desk. Along the wall was a corkboard with red string wrapped around drawing pins, another cliche yet the pictures that were tacked on was what really drew my attention. 

Mark, Damien, Celine, the Colonel and the DA’s pictures were placed at certain points. A small report as to how their Mark died hung off to the side as if it wasn’t as important. Small post-it notes were attached to the pictures of the Mayor and the Seer stating that they were missing while the note attached to the DA and Mark’s pictures stated that the bodies were missing. 

There were no pictures of Wilford in all of his pastel glory so it was fairly obvious that either the detective had no idea what the Colonel now looked like or just so happened to avoid knowledge of all of Wilford’s misadventures. I’d say it was a bit of both, Wil could jump between worlds after all. 

A meow dragged my attention over to an impatient feline that was my ‘roommate’. “Hello, Glitch Bitch.” I greeted as I picked him up and placed him on my shoulder. “I’m guessing you know where the manor is. Can you get the detective and I there?” I ask, my gaze now focused on the office. Another meow sounded out and suddenly I was surrounded by the green smoke again.

The building that I had appeared in front of was covered in vines that seemed to be what held it together now that the entity had left it. 

A faint whistle sounded out from beside me. “Well damn! I really wasn’t expecting this when I offered my help.” A male’s voice sounded out, drawing my attention to the detective. “My name’s Abe, so what made you… interested…” His voice trailed off as he examined my appearance. “P-partner…” Abe stuttered out, backing away slightly. The detective seemed far more mellowed out and tired compared to when the events of WKM took place, then again, that was a long time ago. 

“I think it’s fairly obvious.” I state as my gaze slides back over to the abandoned building. The ominous feeling that the dream version gave me was gone and all that remained was the sad atmosphere of ruined lives. Whatever Dark was before he took the DA’s body and parts of the siblings’ souls, he certainly knew how to get what he wanted. I could tell that he had parts of the siblings’ souls influencing him. 

Celine was good at manipulation as she easily turned those who didn’t know her against the DA, while those that were used to her weren’t affected. Damien is a calm man and a naturally good leader, but he has a short temper on certain issues, that reflected heavily in Dark as he acted as one of the leaders of the egos and his anger was obvious. Dark was the worst parts of the two, but that didn’t explain where the good parts of them went which brought me to my theory if the DA could be kicked out completely - what’s to say that certain parts of a person’s soul couldn’t be kicked out as well?

Anti nuzzled his furry face against my cheek as if attempting to calm me, I hadn’t even realised that my breathing became irregular as I gazed at the building. “It’s okay, bud… I’m okay.” I muttered, patting the top of his head gently as I once again forgot the true nature of the feline. 

Abe and I stood in silence for a few more moments before he cleared his throat and slowly made his way to the front door. My mind flashed back to when the DA first met the Colonel causing me to gulp. I really hoped that something good would come from this. 

The front door creaked loudly as the door slowly swung open. “Well, that’s not creepy…” Abe muttered as he made his way in. His gun already drawn as if we were going to be attacked at any minute.  _ Are you expecting the Colonel to still be here or something? _ I thought to myself as I watched him walk around carefully while I walked behind him normally, my arms crossed to block out the slight chill that filled the old house. 

Even the imp on my shoulder wasn’t impressed as we both watched the detective check every corner slowly and with far too much caution. A small breeze brushed past my cheek as if someone had gently touched it, the sensation chilled me to the bone and caused me to freeze in the spot. Not that Abe or Anti noticed as the latter decided to follow closely behind the detective seeing if he could continue to be a source of humour for the imp. 

I glanced back to see if there was something explaining the sudden chill, the windows were still intact but closed so they couldn’t have been the reason. I decided to pace around in an attempt to warm up my body but soon enough I found myself in front of the cracked mirror that still hung there after all this time. All that seemed to happen was that it became covered in dust. My arm subconsciously lifted up to touch the broken glass, my eyes trailed along the roots of the cracks. My fingers touched the dirty glass, a sigh of relief left my lips as seemingly nothing happened. 

Another chill touched me, wrapping around me like an icy blanket. My spine began to ache slightly from the cold, a sensation I wasn’t at all used to despite living the rather chilly England. The cold began to locate itself heavily behind me while wrapping faintly around my torso, like a weak hug. My mind was brought back to all those ghost hunting shows that Gracie and I watched when we were younger - a drop in temperature was typically what the presence of a ghost was described as, as well as random orbs of light that always seemed to appear in cameras. 

A gulp left my throat as I turned to look behind me, the cold now wrapped around my front, the hug was still being held. “D-Damien…?” I mutter out rather hesitant and unsure if his soul could remain if it was in pieces. The icy chill became more prominent in the manor as glass surfaces began to frost over. My teeth began to chatter slightly as I wrapped my arms around me once again, my beige cardigan fighting against the cold hopelessly as it slid past the holes in the fabric. 

I quickly turn back to the mirror, my gaze in a glare as I look at the broken shards of framed glass. “Time to wake up!” I muttered out through my teeth as I reach out and pluck the mirror off of the wall. The frame was strangely warm to the touch as I held it between my chilled hands.  _ Well, it’s already broken…  _ I thought as I began to raise the mirror over my head. “Sorry if this doesn’t work…” I mumble as I threw the mirror, the frame and glass colliding with the floor, the shards fragmenting more in the impact. 

The sight was strangely beautiful as the frost consumed the tiny shards of broken glass, the sun shone on the pieces created an almost glitter effect from the frost crystals and reflective surfaces. A small sound of appreciation slipped through my lips as I backed away from the scene, unsure if I made things worse or actually did any good. 

The cold began to brush up against my face, causing me to turn away. The sound of a commotion from another part of the manor caught my attention. “Partner!” Abe’s cry for help is what spurred me to rush away from the scene, my feet ignoring any rouge shards to glass that lodged themselves in my shoes. 

“Abe?!” I called out, trying to locate the detective and possibly Anti at the same time. The sounds of hissing lead me to the original crime scene, the room where their Mark had shown up dead. Feline Anti was up of Abe’s shoulders hissing at a pale red glowing orb that kept trying to close but backed away every time Anti swiped at the sphere. “What the…” I breathe out as I watched the scene unfold.  

The red orb slowly made its way to me once it noticed my presence. My hand gently reached out towards the warm light. “It’s okay, Celine. I just want to help.” I spoke out loud thoughtlessly as the orb placed itself in my palm, the pigmentation of the orb growing slightly more saturated after touching my skin. “It’s okay…” I tried to comfort the lost soul that I somehow knew was the Seer.  **“I forgive you…”** My voice spoke out, it was both simultaneously mine and also not my own voice, like I had said it in a dream or far in the past. The DA? I thought as a pale orange glow emitted from me.  **“There’s no one here who will hurt you… I swear it to you…”** The DA spoke out once again, my hand curling around the orb as it began to shrink in size as it lost its shape. Celine’s soul seemed to fade out of sight but I knew she was still there, just hidden. 

A faint whistle sounded out from the detective as he tried to comprehend what had happened. “Wow…” Abe breathed out as he paced over. “That… was the Seer?” He asked, rather cautious as he had no reason the trust the woman. And I didn’t blame him, within hours of meeting him, she had manipulated him. I nod and call Anti to jump onto my shoulder. “But what about the Mayor?” He muttered as he looked around, the frost was now beginning to consume the room just like it had done in the previous section of the manor. 

“I think the chill might be him.” I state as I wrap my cardigan around my body, Anti wrapped himself around my neck as if he was trying to act as a living scarf. “Damien?” I called out to the growing cold, expecting a similar situation to Celine but strangely the room started to grow darker as a dark mist snaked its way in.  **_Run…_ ** The weak, tired voice of Celine whispered out.  **_Run...!_ ** She whispered out once again, this time more urgently as the mist drew closer. “Run!” I echoed Celine’s words over to Abe as I began to hastily make my way out of the manor. 

Hours had gone by since the detective and I ran from the manor, the sun was beginning to set as Abe slammed the door to his office in and made his way inside, with me hot on his tail. 

“What the hell was that?” Abe questioned once he sat down at his desk, a cup of coffee in his hand as if it would settle his nerves. 

I shrug my shoulders gently, trying to not disturb the now sleeping imp who always seemed to find my shoulders comfy. “I honestly don’t know but… That wasn’t meant to happen.” I mutter as I lean against the other side of the desk, sitting on the edge slightly as I think over what happened.  **_I’m sorry…_ ** Celine’s voice rang out, still as soft and weak as when she spoke to me in the manor. 

“Okay Anti, I think it’s time we went home for now,” I say softly as I gently nudged the feline awake. He took a moment to comprehend my words before he jumped off of my shoulders and gazed back up at me. “I’ll try and visit again soon, Abe. Then we can check out the manor again. Hopefully, we’ll have some more luck!” I say as I pull the man into a loose hug. Abe gave a small understanding nod as he pulled away from the hug. 

And with a puff of green smoke, Anti and I were back home once again.  


	8. Colourful Friends

The morning sun blasted straight into my eyes with a sniper’s precision, waking me up from the sleep that I found myself entering shortly after coming home from one of Wilford’s interviews. The most recent one was about some sort of club and the weird occurrences that happened, the interviewee was the president of the club who was rather dismissive of anything odd happening but as Wilford’s interviews typically go, it went to hell and the reporter and I ended up in a weird space-like void to which the man had to teleport us out of. 

It had been about a week since the incident at the manor and I couldn’t bring myself to tell the man that the broken soul of his beloved was following me around, quietly telling me stories of the three boys when they were children. It would be so much easier if I could just find what took her body and then help her get it back.

**_Are you okay?_ ** She asks softly as always as I lay on my bed, glaring at the window that dared to let sunlight break through it. “I’m fine...!” I mutter out as I turn away from the sun, shielding my eyes as I do so. Celine was colder than Damien for the most part but still had a very caring side, she just needed to be around the right people. A groan left my lips as I pull myself off of the sofa that I had collapsed on the previous night. My nights were rather dreamless, a gift from Celine so we wouldn’t have to deal with Dark.

Anti, or rather Ace as I had to call his feline form once Wilford saw him after attempting to collect me from the flat several days ago, was laying on the window sill enjoying the warmth the sun had to offer like an actual cat.

The Septic egos still kept dropping by even after Anti’s multiple attempts to get them to stop showing up. Their antics always made me laugh so I didn’t mind their visits. Heck, even the Iplier egos started to randomly show up from time to time, it was mostly just Wilford though as he wanted to be a bigger part of my life.  **_It’s because you were a big part of Damien’s life._ ** Celine had explained when I began to question it.

‘Ace’ let out a small groan like sound before making his way over to me, jumping up onto my shoulders just as he always did. A small purr sounded out as he nuzzled me in a lazy attempt of saying hello, turns out for a glitch, he was actually extremely lazy when he had the chance not that it was really a problem, it just made things easier on me.

“Hey, bud.” I greet the feline as I made my way over to the kitchen only to freeze as a suited man made his way around my kitchen, humming happily to himself as he did so. “Bim?” I call out to cause the show host to freeze in his spot. “Okay… Well, I’m guessing today is going to be even more energetic than yesterday…” I mutter to myself as I watch the man go back to frying what seemed to be burgers on my old grill. _ I don’t even want to know who he got that meat from. _ I thought to myself as I made a 180 and left the kitchen. I noticed a small cloud of pink smoke and rushed towards it, knowing it was my way to get to the HQ.

“Hello there, old chap!” My favourite moustached man called out as he pulled me into a crushing hug, nuzzling his face against the top of my head as he did so.

I let out a giggle, wiggling my legs around as he pulled me up into the air. “Hey, Wil! How are ya?!” I chirp out, enjoying the hug as I always did. Wilford always seemed to have the best hugs, mainly because they were so warm and you could always tell that he was being heartfelt. Wilford went on to tell me that he was doing good but Dark had begun to get angrier quicker if that was even possible.  **_That might be my fault. He’s been trying really hard to drag you into the Void…_ ** Celine muttered as she thought over Wilford’s words. She was still struggling to believe that Wilford was her darling William but she wasn’t letting it get to her.

Wilford dragged me off to his office, making sure to avoid the other egos as he didn’t want to be slowed down. Something he typically did but he didn’t seem his typical hyper self, usually that meant he was back to acting like the Colonel but Celine would’ve let me know of William’s mannerisms before Wilford even noticeably changed like she had done before. I wonder if everything’s okay… I thought, curious as to what could be wrong with my dear friend.  **“Everything alright, Will?”** The DA asks for me, it was like having another subconscious rather than just having a ghost talk to you - something I was used to now thanks to Celine.

Wilford gave me a swift nod as he made me sit down on the sofa, he seemed to ignore my questioning gaze as he sat down at his desk and glared at the paperwork that Dark had placed on it for him to do.  **_The DA…_ ** Celine started, she had been examining the bond between the DA and I since she joined the party. Apparently from the Seer’s point of view the DA had been with me since before I stepped into the manor but despite the two being in similar positions the Seer couldn’t speak to her which ended up causing a lot of frustrated rambles when I was stuck in a situation where I couldn’t respond to something she had said.

**_It’s weird, to me at least, being a soul myself. That there’s only one soul present in your body._ ** She mused as she always seemed to once she got thinking.  **_Maybe… Just maybe… There’s a chance you really ARE her. I haven’t sensed her in a long time before your visit, after all._ ** The Seer stated coldly as she thought, it kept reminding me of Blue Google’s way of speaking considering the android had a habit of multiplying whenever he was forced to multitask and only went back to his singular form once he was done. Oliver, the yellow topped Google, was the one that seemed to care for others but there was a chance that he was better at mimicking human emotions than the other droids.  **_Maybe your magician friend could help in communicating with her?_ ** Celine asked.

_ Marvin? Maybe he could but Anti would try to avoid us being alone with him like he does with every other ego that isn’t him or Wilford.  _ I reply, rather glad that Celine could read my thoughts in situations like this. I lay down on the sofa, watching the ceiling fan spin slowly as the sound of a pen scratching on paper filled the room - The Colonel was doing his paperwork.  **_Let’s go speak to him once we get the chance._ ** Celine’s voice echoed out in my head, making it ache slightly as it always did. I got used to the headaches shortly after she started to talk more regularly, however.

I hum quietly in agreement with the Seer’s plan before looking over to the Colonel. He always looked so serious but not dangerously so, which was a good thing - for everyone. “Old chap…” William spoke out softly, looking up and regarding me gently. “Did he ever tell you? Damien, I mean. He always spoke highly of you.” A small smile etched it’s way to the corner of his lips as he thought back to his old friend. “He adored being around you and well… It wouldn’t really be fair of me to expose any feelings when the main man isn’t here to admit them. It could be considered slander if it weren’t true!” He exclaimed, chuckling gently as he did.

**“I’m not sure about what I could have done to make him speak so highly of me, Colonel. We were friends and I always made sure to act accordingly…”** The DA spoke out, recalling how she kept her feelings from showing for the sake of her friendship with the man.  **“Just like I’m doing with you. Acting accordingly to what our relationship is.”** She sounded rather melancholy, most likely at remembering the past.

**_It’s a shame Dames and I lost touch for a while… I’m sure I’d of heard plenty of stories… Oh well, the past is the past and unfortunately, the DA has no place in this world. Not when you exist._ ** Celine’s words were ominous and sent a chill down my spine. “Bully…! You really were never told…? D-do you remember the poker night? The day we met?” The Colonel stuttered out, Celine’s previous stories coming to mind as I figured that he was shocked at the lack of remembrance, being someone who could remember quite a bit when from when he was intoxicated.

The DA narrowed my eyebrows in frustration and confusion as scenes of that night flashed through my mind. Bits and pieces were cut and some of the events seemed jumbled but nothing indicated a reason to remember the night except for the day after.  **“Unfortunately, it’s all a bit of a blur. I do remember Dames doing his infamous party trick, and flipping the bird at poor old Ben the butler rather clearly though. I could only do so much in my muted period.”** She, or rather I stated. It was all a bit confusing, I was a version of her after all.  **“What were you hoping for me to remember, old friend?”** I ask, my voice keeping the same vintage formal tone that the DA had whenever she used to speak, and tried her best to replicate now. It was a bit more difficult with the accents as I spent a good amount of time in England while she spent most of her adult life in America.

“O-oh… just something that happened pretty early on into the night. You and Damien sure got sloshed quickly didn’t you?” William laughed out, glancing off to the side as he remembered the events clearly. A small smile on his face indicated that what he was remembering was a rather happy moment for him. “With all those stories… I never figured he’d choose that night…” Will muttered to himself, not really caring if I heard the sounds of it. His attention soon drew back over to his paperwork, his face falling into a scowl. “Oh damn it all!” He cussed, flinging the paperwork to the side before standing up in a rush. His arms crossed and pouted, the air the Colonel naturally held dissipated, signifying one thing. “I left my jacket at yours, I just remembered!” Wilford was back.

A chuckle left my lips as I sat up. “Is that so?” I questioned, the DA going mute again. I watched as Wilford nodded his head rapidly, another chuckle bubbled its way up my throat. “Well then, let’s go get it!” I cheered out, the energy of the reported was practically infectious as I felt myself become more energetic.

In a puff of light pink smoke, Wil and I were back in my flat.

Ace was busy glaring at a certain orange glasses wearing android who in turn was busy trying bat away the burgers away from the man who made them. The game show host kept the android at bay by using his foot to keep him at a distance as he tried to satiate his hunger.

“Um…” I was rather confused about the situation but by this point, I had learnt not to question the men that now were in most parts of my life. “Bing, what’s going on?” My question alerted the two other egos to mine and Wil’s presence, the two breaking away in shock. Bim took the opportunity to scoff the burger down while Bing was distracted by trying to explain the situation. Apparently, the game show host recently aired another one of his shows and they always seemed to go the same way, which explained why he was grilling burgers earlier. I cringed slightly at the thought as I told Bim that he could keep my grill, I was very grateful that it was a portable grill that I owned.

“So, bruh, Dark’s still got a large stick up his ass or what?” Bing asked, his question directed towards Wilford. Wil just gave a small nod before walking around, trying to find his striped jacket. “Looks like I’m staying here then, the ass nearly ripped my arm off the last time I spoke to him, good think Googs repaired the damage that he did do…” Bing said out loud, looking around as he did as if he was trying to memorise surroundings.  

Bim sighed and shook his head as he watched the two more colourful egos do whatever they wanted in my flat. “The doctor and I have a theory that he’s acting out because the girl he likes isn’t paying him enough attention. We have the Jims looking into it.” The talk of the other reporter egos brought memories of two people sneaking around outside my flat, it was odd but Anti didn’t seem to be bothered by it so I didn’t check it out.

A huff left my lips once I put the pieces together. “So that’s why I’ve felt like I’m being followed recently, the Jims are investigating me!” I cry out in frustration, startling the suited ego next to me. Bim threw me a nervous smile, scratching his cheek gently as he did so, a small mutter of ‘surprise’ left his lips before his gaze fell onto the window that overlooked the street I lived on. My eyes followed his and soon landed on the twins that were peeking through the window, probably using the small balcony to keep themselves up. “Get your arses in here!” I hissed out, my patience with the troublesome egos had started to run thin even if I did adore them.

In a scramble, the Jims made their way into the flat via the now opened window. Bim and Bing had walked off to try and held the senior reporter find his jacket.

I proceeded to scold the Jims, making sure that they got the point that I didn’t enjoy being followed and that even if Dark was upset that the girl he liked was ignoring him, that girl wasn’t me as he most likely hated me for siding with Mark. They finally got the point and soon the twins and I found ourselves playing Mario Kart as we waited for the other three egos to find that jacket.  _ What on earth could be taking them so long? _ I thought, hoping Celine would have an answer but all she did was mutter that she was wondering the same thing.

A few moments went by before my front door swung open, hitting the wall loudly. “Lass, guess who came to visit?!” A loud Irish voice shouted out.  _ Sean!  _ I thought rather panicked as I looked between the twins busy playing the video game and the Irishman. “What the fuck…?” He muttered out as he himself looked at the reporters. He rubbed his eyes quickly, most likely not believing what he saw.

“Surprise?” I question as I walk over to my friend. “It’s a bit difficult to explain but… Um…” I motion Ace to come over to our position, I give him a small nod and suddenly a familiar green fog wraps around us. When the fog dissipated the three of us stood in an unfamiliar park, Anti in his human form leaned against me, waving at Sean with a cocky smile on his face.

Sean didn’t have much to say as he slowly fell backwards, fainting at the sight of something he believed only to be a character. “Timber!” Anti jokingly called out as the YouTuber collapsed to the ground. The imp glitched over to the man he shared a face with, waving his hand around to see if Sean was joking. “Well, he’s out for the count!” A glitched out laugh sounded as the imp doubled over, holding his stomach.

A sigh left my lips as I placed myself next to the unconscious man, pulling his head onto my lap. “Anti, why are you so protective of me?” I asked softly, my hand gently running through Sean’s hair as I did.

The imp backed away in thought, it was possible that he hadn’t really thought of the reason and instead just acted on impulse. Anti gave a small shrug as he turned to look away from me. “I’m not sure… You’ve just been really nice to me, for no reason as well. I guess that I didn’t want to lose that.” He answered, a slight edge to his tone.

**_Liar, he knows exactly why._ ** Celine hissed out slightly, her usual cool tone completely gone. **_I’ve sensed his presence at the manor before when the DA-_ ** The Seer cut herself off. Suddenly my body began engulfed in a warmth, similar to the hugging sensation from the manor. **_It_ ** **_is_ ** **_you…_ ** Celine muttered out, her voice far quieter than I was used to. It was rather upsetting to hear her, it sounded like she was about to cry.  _ Don’t cry Cel… _ I thought as I wished I could hug the poor woman back.

It took a few hours to get Sean back to the flat as Anti left shortly after I asked him why he was protective and Celine had become silent after her hug so the hours it took to carry the Irishman back was a rather lonely experience.

My favourite bean was resting on the sofa as Wilford helped me clean up the mess that the Jims had made trying to help Wil find his jacket. Turns out he had hung it up in my wardrobe for safe keeping but no one even considered it to be in there until Dark showed up. Said demonic being was in my armchair reading a newspaper, looking rather smug to even be in my flat.

My gaze shifted from the demon to my pastel friend to see him giving me an apologetic smile. He had let Dark in so he could help find the striped article of clothing, something he couldn’t stop apologising for as he knew Dark would use his new permission for drop in at any time.

A groan alerted everyone to the fact that Sean was beginning to wake up. I share a look with Wilford before our gazes feel onto an unamused Dark. “We’re not leaving simply because your friend has woken up, he’s already seen Anti and the Jims, what’s the harm in seeing Will and me?” He explained as he stood up and walked over to the man lying on the sofa. He leaned over slightly, his arms firmly behind his back as he examined the man in front of him. “I just don’t see why you’d choose to make friends with someone like this, dear.”

‘Dear’. The word made me practically cringe coming from Dark’s mouth, the false warm tone disgusted me as it sounded so much like Damien.  _ You won’t win me over with sweet words and pet names.  _ I thought to myself, glaring at the suited man as I made my way over. “Who I make friends with is none of your business, Darky.” I purr, a sickly sweet smile on my face as I did so.  _ If he didn’t have the siblings' souls attached to him, I’d punch him. _ I run my hands through Sean’s hair again as he began to awake properly. “Hey Bean, how are you feeling?” I ask softly.

“Ugh… like my head hit a rock…” The Irishman groaned out, holding his head gently. “What happened?” He asked, his eyes remaining closed as he sat up.

A small sigh left my lips, he didn’t actually hit a rock when he fainted the ground was just hard but exaggeration was a common thing for people to do. “What do you remember?” I question, my voice still soft as I continue running my hands through his hair as a comforting gesture.

Sean’s lips pursed as racked his head. “Honestly? Just this really weird dream. I decided to visit you, which was obviously true. But um, I saw two Mark’s playing Mario Kart and then your cat teleported us to a random ass park where Anti showed up! It was freaking weird!” He exclaimed, looking up at me but soon his face paled as he noticed the grey man that stood behind me. “It wasn’t a dream, was it?” He asked, quickly looked away after he noticed me shaking my head. A gulp left his throat as he noticed the moustached man staring at him.

My gaze fell onto Wilford, noticing the man wave happily at the Irishman not bothered by the fact that he was being seen by someone who shouldn’t know of his existence.

A few moments went by as I watched Wilford interact with Sean, Dark and I only stepping in a few times when the reporter tried to interview my friend considering we knew how that it could turn out.

_ He’s so cute! I just want to hug him! _

A warm smile made its way to my face as I walked over to the pastel man, pulling him into a hug. “Wilford, has anyone told you that you’re adorable?” I asked innocently, nuzzling my face into his chest. A small but happy squeak left throat as he proceeded to bear hug me and spin me around. Laughter would have left both our lips if the sound of static didn’t take over the room.  _ Well someone’s being pissy. _

Dark cracked a strained smile over at the pair of us before teleporting me into his arms. “Her and I need to talk. Alone.” He stated coldly as a thick blanket of black smoke wrapped around us. It seemed to emit an icy chill which stroked my cheeks. The sensation was terrifyingly familiar.  _ Damien? _ My thoughts asked as if they were trying to reach him like they used to in the void.

The chill became stronger for a moment before disappearing completely once Dark laid a hand on my shoulder.

An involuntary shiver ran up my spine as I shook from the now missing cold, the mild chill from Dark’s hand radiated through my hoodie. A sigh left his darkened lips as he stood in front of me. “The past can never seem to leave us alone, my dear.” He muttered, gazing at me gently. It was a look that made my heart pound in my chest as it brought forward memories that I swore were not my own.

My lips pursed in annoyance as that damned pet name was spoken once again. “You said you wanted to talk…” I started, my gaze rather defiant in nature as I looked up at the demon. _ He did something to Dames, I just know it!  _ My thoughts hissed out as I recalled the chilling hug from moments ago, the idea of Damien being hurt made my blood boil and my temper rise. 

 

“So let’s talk.”


	9. A Date with a Demon

The pocket dimension that the monochromatic demon placed us in was much like the void, except for the fact we were sitting at what seemed to be a table dressed up to be presented at a date. Dark sat opposite me, not caring too much to speak but rather focusing on the food that he summoned in front of us. He somehow knew exactly what I’d like but he was trying to get me on his side so trying to please me wasn’t off the table so to speak. 

“I thought you wanted to talk.” I spat out, not impressed with the demon giving me the silent treatment. Said demon just raised an eyebrow at me before continuing with the steak he had summoned for himself. “Is that even real?” I question, gazing at the hunk of meat he was eating from. 

A chuckle left his lips before he gave a small nod. “It’s very real. From a very fine restaurant, in fact.” He stated simply, taking a tip from the glass closest to him. “Aren’t you going to eat? I doubt you’ve been given the chance to eat yet considering everything that has happened.” The demon said, gesturing to the food that sat in front of me. 

Moments went by before I gave in and started to eat. A smug smirk curled at Dark’s lips as he watched me eat, his food now gone and his hands curled under his chin as his confidence practically radiated from him.

A sigh left my lips once I was done eating. “Why are you doing this?” I ask softly, unsure of my word choice but there was a chance he’d answer me normally. 

The sound of a deep chuckle filled the air, pulling my attention over to the cocky demon opposite me. “Why? I’m sure it’s fair for any man to want to treat the object of his affections to a date.” Heat rushed to my cheeks as I heard his response. Another chuckle sounded out as he gently stroked my cheek, his eyes filled with false warmth yet again.  _ If I didn’t know that he was made out of people and a shadow, I doubt I would be in the wrong for assuming the man was an incubus.  _ I thought as I inched away from his hand. 

A faint chill started to fill the air as Dark’s phone rang loudly, an irritated groan left his lips as he signalled that he would be back before disappearing in a plume of black smoke.  _ Ah, why is it so cold in here?! _ I thought to myself as I drew my arms in, hugging myself tightly to try and maintain my warmth.

Light hissing sounded out from behind me, causing me to whip my head around to the direction in alarm. The dark, icy mist from the manor began to snake it’s way over, almost coating the floor entirely as the frost it created began to climb it’s way up the table. “Damien?” I mutter out, my hand reaching out towards the mist as I did. The cold burn that the mist caused to my hand was mild compared to how the chill burned at my cheeks.

The mist wrapped around my hand gently and slowly, as if it was trying to move without scaring me. 

**_Hello dear…_ **

A male voice sounded out a familiar voice that I had not heard for a while.  _ Damien!  _ The icy feeling proceeded to wind its way behind me as if the cold was once again trying to hug me.  **_You left me…_ ** Damien’s voice hissed out, his tone mimicking Dark’s as it distorted slightly. 

Tears began to prick at my eyes as the cold started to become uncomfortable as my body started to go numb. “Damien, please… I didn’t leave you!” I cried out as a tight, painful feeling wrapped around my neck.  **_Then why did you run, dear? You ran as I was just saying hello..._ ** I whimpered slightly as the feeling around my neck tightened.  _ He’s strangling me…! _ A few tears ran down my face as I began to struggle to breathe. “Celine told us to run! I listened to her!” I cried out, wishing that Dark would come back to stop the cold spirit that was cutting off my airways. 

**_And you listened to her? To the known manipulator?!_ ** Damien’s voice distorted further as it hissed in anger. “Dames… you’re hurting me…!” I whimper out and I try to pry the invisible force away from my neck. The cold quickly retreated, allowing me to breathe normally as I gasp for air. I cough slightly, rubbing my neck to try and ease up some of the pain the angered soul had caused. **_I… I’m sorry… I didn’t…. That’s not me!_ ** Damien cried out, his voice back to normal as a mild chill wrapped itself around me.  **_He just… his words were so convincing…_ ** He sobbed, as his form became an orb, much like Celine’s. 

**_I’m sorry._ **

A dark fog filled the area, signifying Dark’s return. Damien’s faded blue orb rushed off to avoid the demon, enough damage had already been caused so it was an obvious attempt at making sure Dark stayed calm. “Apologies, the Host ran into a small problem with a glitching out Google,” Dark explained, straightening out his suit as he did. He huffed to himself quietly before his eyes landed on me. “I’m sure that nothing happened while I was gone?” He said, more to himself than to me as his eyes trailed down to my neck. “What the…” His eyes narrowed as he stalked forward. 

A gulp left my lips as the monochrome leaned forward towards me. “W-What’s wrong, Dark?” I stutter out, uncomfortable with how close he was to me. A small squeak left my lips as his cold fingers touched my neck, a small growl leaving the demon’s throat as he examined it.

“What happened.” He demanded as his hand wrapped itself gently around my neck, rubbing it slightly as he did. “Come on, dear. Tell me what happened…” He muttered as he leaned in more. His eyes and tone shining with the same warmth that Mark was able to muster naturally, if his voice wasn’t as deep or distorted, you’d think it was Mark that was talking.  _ I don’t think he’s faking acting warm anymore.  _ I thought to myself as his eyes practically pierced my soul. 

A blush coated my cheeks as I turned my head to try and put some distance between us.  _ This can’t be good. _ “N-Nothing happened! Stop pretending that you care!” All filters were now gone, I couldn’t help but speak my mind. I chalked it up to a side effect of letting the DA speak earlier, my mannerisms always did seem to warp slightly when she spoke. 

Dark sighed and rested his cool forehead against my burning one. “I’m not pretending… not anymore.” He admitted, pulling me into a hug. “I fucked up…” He muttered, stroking my back slightly as if it was going to help in any way. Slowly my eyes began to close, I don’t remember feeling so drained before. The words of comfort that Dark has begun to whisper became more and more faded with each passing moment as I was pulled into unconsciousness. 

 

_ When I ‘awoke’, I was in the void again. The void in which Dames and I met for the first time. I wondered if he was here as I gazed around, trying to spot the faded blue light that signified his presence only to see nothing. A sigh left my lips as I slowly waded my way through the thick substance that always coated the floor of this place.  _

_ “Do… you remember when we met…? Heh… I bet you can’t… But I do! I remember. Mark was so excited to introduce us, I remember when he dragged me over to you while you were busy trying to study in the library.  _

_ “I was so nervous because he had gushed about you heavily, saying how you and I would be perfect friends. Well, he wasn’t wrong. We really were great friends, still are I imagine! If… what happened earlier and what happened at the manor are forgiven. But I know I can’t ask you to forgive my actions. I was in the wrong, I listened to a manipulative demon and lost my temper and now I have to accept the consequences for hurting you once again.”  _

_ Damien’s voice sounded out from behind me, causing me to spin around to spot the mayor standing close to me. A sad smile was plastered on his face as he looked off to the side.  _

_ Tears welled up in his eyes as he shifted his gaze back over to me. “I don’t know what he’s done to me, old friend…” His voice trailed off as he looked off to the side once more. “I don’t really feel like myself… well, not in the way I’m used to. I’m so much colder… so much more calculated in how I view things… God, it feels like I’m looking at everything as if it’s paperwork! I hate it!” He exclaimed, pulling his arms close to him as he tried to calm himself. “Sorry…” He muttered as his eyes once again fell on me.  _

_ “Dames… I… I don’t blame or hate you. For anything. I don’t think I could even if I tried!” I exclaimed as a nervous chuckle left my lips. I really doubted if I had the ability to hate him, he was just so nice - practically an angel much like I always considered him to be before I knew who he was. “I adore you…” My voice trailed off as I examined the man in front of me. The hopeful look in his eyes as the small smile of adoration curled his lips, it was almost enough to make my heart ache in happiness, he didn’t deserve to be sad in any sense.  _

_ A small but happy laugh left his lips as he narrowed the space between us. “You always did view me so highly…” He muttered as he pulled me into a tight hug. “I don’t deserve you,” Damien stated, nuzzling his face into my hair afterwards. “It’s a shame we never got the chance to have that date…” He trailed off, pulling me tighter into the hug as he most likely thought aloud.  _

_ A blush coated my face without any sign of mercy as I thought over what he said. “D-date?!” I squeaked out, unsure if I even heard the mayor correctly as my own grip tightened around him.  _

_ A deep and warm laugh left the man that held me in a tight embrace. “Yes, a date! Damn, how sozzled were you if you can’t remember me asking you out?!” His laughter continued, his face going bright red and a large grin covered his face before it fell as if he realised something. “You don’t remember my confession…” Damien sighed out before nuzzling my hair once again. “Oh, my dear… If I had known, I probably wouldn’t have listened to that damned creature.”  _

_ The hug between the mayor and I soon ended, a sad smile once again on his face as he gazed at me. The glow that surrounded the man flickered slightly which sent a scowl to his face. Damien quickly explained that Dark was most likely trying to take control of my dream space so he could speak to me.  _

_ “I’m sorry, my dear. I wish we could talk more but it’s best if we don’t anger him…” He muttered before placing a delicate kiss on my forehead. “I’ll speak to you soon, even if I have to force the rest of my soul that’s attached to that damned creature to do what I want.” Damien said coldly before walking off. “Just reach for the cracks, my dear! Like you did last time!” He called out before his light disappeared completely as he continued to increase the distance between us.  _

_ A small crack appeared in the distance in the other direction to where Damien walked off to. The crack emitted a bright light that was trying to be snuffed out by smoke that seeped through it. A gulp bobbed my throat up and down as I began to shift my legs through the void’s sludge, the struggle causing a small sweat to form on my forehead as I walked.  A frustrated growl left my lips as I closed the distance and lept for the crack with my arm stretched out towards the light.  _

_ In a bright flash, I was in the dream manor. Everything pristine, even the mirror that I made sure to shatter. I always wondered why I hated the damned things.  _

_ “You’re here… Took a while to find you.” Dark hissed out gently from behind me, his tone coated with frustration more than the malice that usually coated his hissing voice. “Wilford is going crazy at me, so, my dear. You need to wake up!” He shouted in my ear, as the feeling of something sharp sliced its way through my abdomen, causing a foul metallic liquid to flood my mouth as I dropped to my knees. _

 

I shot forward as I awoke, only to find my skull colliding with another. “OW!” The person and I both cried out as we held our own heads, the blood was no longer in my mouth but the taste was still there, just like the pain that spread across my stomach. My gaze drifted up to look at my pastel dressed best friend and employer who held his head while pouting at me, while Henrik was doing everything but attacking Dark in anger for taking me to a place like the void. 

“Ye okay, lass?” A glitched out voice sounded out beside me, drawing my attention over to Anti who held a concerned expression and a damn flannel before placing it to my head. “You were out for a while…” Anti muttered before glaring at the suited demon. 

Before I could ask what he meant by that and ask exactly what happened, a certain pink moustached tackled me in a hug. “I was so worried!” Wilford cried out, his arms wrapped tightly around my still sore neck causing me to wince slightly. “What the bloody hell happened? Dark took you to his little pocket dimension and the next thing I know is he’s showed up, holding you while you’re passed out and with bruises around your-” Wilford cut himself off with a small yelp as he scrambled away from the tight hug. “Sorry! It was an accident, I swear!” He exclaimed as his eyes fell on the apparent bruising on my neck. 

_ Damien did have on hell of a grip, but what’s with the pain in my stomach?  _ My thoughts asked as I gazed around at the people around me. Dark was on the other side of the room, being yelled at by the medical egos and Sean while Wilford and Anti tended to me.  _ When did they even get here? _ I pondered as I watched the ego tell off the demon. Anti’s gaze shifted to follow mine before he turned to face me. “I might of panicked and teleported the doctors here. Luckily, it just seems like you passed out from being overwhelmed but that doesn’t explain why it looks like you’ve been strangled.” The imp tried to explain, his voice distorting as he mentioned the strangling. 

“It wasn’t anything to do with me! How many times do I have to tell you?!” Dark yelled out, possibly being accused for the bruising. He seemed rather offended that someone would even suggest that he had something to do with it. 

Dr Iplier rolled his eyes before crossing his arms tightly over his chest. “That still doesn’t explain how she got them! You are the only one who can make things enter and exit that dimension of yours, so of course, we’re going to accuse you.” He stated simply, his own seemed to be beginning to boil as he just wanted to know the truth. 

“And we’re going to keep asking you about it until you confess!” Henrik butted in, making his displeasure with the situation obvious as he stomped closer to the suited man he was yelling at. 

Anti muttered to himself how they’ve been yelling at him for almost half an hour before making his way over. “Guys! You’re yelling isn’t going to make the lass feel any better, even if she was still asleep!” He exclaimed, aiming a knife at them for a moment before gesturing over to me once noticing their confused gazes. The imp just simply rolled his eyes at the doctors before walking back over to me, removing the flannel from my forehead before soaking it in some water that a bucket nearby held.

Soon the now cool and damp flannel was back on my forehead while Wilford decided to join in at scolding his demonic friend. A small giggle left my throat as I watched the pastel man in his own silly way scold his friend, to most people it would have looked like a joke but as I watched him I noticed that his right hand crept closer and closer to his holster, soon my smile and giggle were gone and I was all but terrified. He was ready to shoot the man, or at least threaten him with the gun if he didn’t confess.

A silent gulp left me as I watched his hands brush against his gun. “Wilford, don’t!” I call out, making the man jump in shock. “He didn’t do anything but treat me to some food! It was… something else.” I tried to explain, but how exactly do you explain that the angered spirit of an old friend tried to snuff you out, especially to someone with a shattered mind. I couldn’t do that to Will and I couldn’t demonise Damien. I instead just tried to explain something that could exist in the void without mentioning anything that could make Dark think of the mayor. “And that’s what happened… Dark is innocent. A surprising verdict but it’s true.” I mutter just loud enough for them to hear me. 

Henrik crossed his arms and sighed. “Vell, today has certainly been exciting for the girl. Let her have some rest.” The German-Irish doctor stated in confidence before grabbing his fellow Septic ego and dragging him from the flat I called home. Dark gave his fellow Iplier egos a look before they all made their own way out, leaving me alone with Sean who walked off to the kitchen to make some coffee. 

“Well, all that was… certainly something.” Sean started as he walked in, two mugs in his hands as he did. “Ye were knocked out for an hour by the way.” He explained as he placed the mugs down on my coffee table. An hour? Surely it couldn’t have been that long. I thought as I watched my friend run a hand through his hair and sigh deeply. “I feel like shit… you got hurt and I couldn’t protect you even when I said I would.”

I made my way over to the man and pulled him into a gentle hug. "In a world with egos and demons, there's only so much you can do to protect me. Plus, I wasn't even in this dimension! How could you have protected me, Jack?" I ask honestly, hoping my words would at least have some effect on the man. "Where's that positive mental attitude you keep talking about?" I joke, ruffling his hair to add to the jovial tone. Sean laughed slightly in reply before tightening the hug before pulling away slowly.

"Positive Mental Attitude..." He mumbled to himself, a small smile on his face as he spoke. The Irishman nodded to himself as if he was confirming something before looking up at me.

 

_ That's right Sean, Positive Mental Attitude. _


	10. Never a Normal Day

The small amount of time away from the egos was bliss as much as I did adore them. Nothing was more bliss than a bit of peace away from energetic people and it certainly was a good thing that my roommate was lazy. The imp was busy lazing around on the sofa, surprisingly in his human form as he laid in the way of the sun, enjoying the warmth. A chuckle left my lips as I watched Anti, enjoying his silent company on the warm morning. 

I sat cross-legged on my armchair, doodling away on some spare paper as I let the time slip by me, only taking notice of the time when my ringtone sounded out. Anti groaned at the noise while covering his ears. I offer him a quick apology before rushing off to my room to collect the noisy device. 

“Yeah?” I called out after I pressed the answer button only to receive the sound of crying and cars going by as a reply. Confused heavily, I checked the ID of the caller. “Mark? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I asked, quickly putting the phone back to my ear after seeing the man’s name on the screen. My heart began to race as small murmurs of apologies left his lips. “Mark…?” I asked softly, hoping that my gentle tone would at least calm him enough so he could speak.

_ “I fucked up…” _ He spoke out, another sob leaving his lips as the sound of cars going past sounds out once again.

A gulp left my lips as I tried to work out what was going on. “Are you… are you driving?” I ask, hoping that his driving wasn’t being impaired in any way. 

_ “No, I am!” _ A new voice sounded while another tried to get Mark to calm down.  _ “Danny, what’s even going on?!”  _ The voice cried out, just as confused as I was.  _ Arin? _ I thought as I heard Danny reply with a short reply of him not knowing himself. I quickly ask why they’re driving, I needed at least some information.

_ “We found Mark just walking Chica while trying not to cry. When we tried to get information out of him he just kept asking for you. I’m Danny by the way! Hi!” _ Danny called out in greeting before going back to trying to calm down Mark from the sound of his voice going from somewhat happy at speaking to a new person to soft and gentle. 

I quickly say hello to both him and Arin before asking Mark what’s wrong yet again. “Come on, Mark. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong…” I mutter in frustration as I wished that I had the ability to help him. The only thing I got as a reply was Mark mumbling that he was a bad person and that he hated himself. I could just about hear Arin and Danny calling him an idiot for thinking that as the signal started to weaken. 

A sigh left Arin as his voice suddenly became louder. He much of grabbed the phone away from Mark. I thought to myself as I waited for the call to end.  _ “We’re heading over, see you as soon as we can! … He needs you…”  _ He stated before hanging up on me. 

I sat in silence for a small while in shock, not at the fact that two Grumps were about to visit, but that Mark was a sobbing mess and apparently needed me.  _ What could possibly be wrong?  _

I would have stayed in that position if Anti didn’t walk in and drag me out so I could get something to eat with him. My friendship with the imp was a surprisingly healthy and stable one like it would be if he was just human. He looked out for me, still not telling me why while I tried my best to look out for him. 

Celine remained quiet but I could guess that she wasn’t too happy with her brother’s actions. She was still there, I could see her red orb following closely behind me at points but she decided to act more like a shadow at this point. 

Anti clung to his thick scarf as he bounced up and down impatient while waiting for his food to be done, I giggled to myself as I watched the child-like glitch. He wore clothes that would look more suited in the winter, but with the scarf, glasses and beanie he really did look like a normal human. Before all of this, I would have easily mistook him for Sean. The imp whined to himself as he once again looked over to the kitchen eagerly. “This sucks…” He complained as he pouted with his arms crossed.

A laugh left my throat as our ticket number got called and Anti practically sprinted over to collect our order. We barely had time to sit down before he was already eating his food. I scold him jokingly before starting my meal, taking my time unlike the man opposite me.

The sound of Mark’s sobs crawled to the back of my mind, eating away at my thoughts but I tried to push it down so Anti couldn’t tell something was wrong.  _ His words echoed Dark’s. _ My thoughts called out.  **_‘I fucked up’. What could it mean?_ ** Celine finally chimed in, I could only guess that curiosity finally got the best of her.  _ I have no idea. I assumed Dark’s were because he was beginning to feel something for me but I could be wrong on that. _

The idea of the demon having feelings for me sent a shiver down my spine as Celine made a joke sound of disgust more teasing than malicious before recalling that Dark was using a version of my body as a vessel then her sound of disgust became real.

Anti and I made our way back home shortly after we finished up our food, the male being rather chatty as we walked. It would take a while before the Grumps could get Mark over here so we had time to waste and time was quickly wasted with the egos around. I quickly thought back to my friends, I really needed to meet up with them again at some point. I pulled my cardigan closer as a chill brushed passed me, I froze for a moment before calming down realising that it was just the wind beginning to pick up.

**_He wouldn’t risk visiting while we’re out in the open. Not when Dark could just appear._ ** Celine stated, being so sure that Damien wouldn’t be reckless.

I hum quietly in agreement before collapsing in my armchair, not really paying attention to what the now green tinted imp was talking about. Something about him saving someone before he cut himself off and rushing off to the kitchen to make drinks. He seemed to be doing that more recently as if it was a nervous tick to zoom off to the kitchen to do something but I didn’t question it. 

**_What’s your nervous tick?_ ** Celine asked, her orb coming into view. I’ve grown used to these questions, she was trying to know as much about me as possible before she went quiet, I missed these questions.  _ Crossing my arms, typically behind my back. Keeps my back straight, and helps me feel more confident. Helped when I was still a nurse and being confronted by patients. _ I explained before I walked into the kitchen and helped Anti make some tea. We had time to kill.

It was nearly midnight when I heard loud, almost desperate banging coming from the front door, and I didn’t mean the door to my flat. I quickly rushed to the landing to see Arin talking with my flatmate that answered the door while Danny stood a bit behind him comforting Mark while also trying to calm Chica. I quickly rush down and get my flatmate to head back to their flat, just to stop him from asking more questions, he always was nosy. 

Almost as soon as he saw me, Mark came rushing over to pull me into a tight hug. He was still sobbing, even if he was now more than exhausted from both the time he’s been awake and the crying. It took a small while for Arin and Danny to get Mark to go to sleep, even if it was in my bed. Apparently, he was clinging to my pillow as he slept, not that I knew because I was trying to keep Chica away from Ace, she just wanted to do nothing but play with the poor guy.

Soon the other guys fell asleep themselves with Danny curled up on the sofa and Arin on my armchair. Chica was in the other armchair while Ace slept on the backrest of the same chair. I made sure that they were all comfy before walking into my room to see Mark hugging his knees and crying softly to himself.

“Mark?” I call out gently, despite my soft voice I still made him jump. “Everything okay?” I ask as I sit next to him, my arms wrapping around him.

He nodded his head for a moment before changing his mind and shaking his head rapidly. In a low but soft voice, he apologised before muttering that he fucked up as he ran his hands through his raven hair. I pet his hair back down after he messed it up, humming gently to comfort him as he nuzzles his head into my shoulder.

I never thought I would be grateful for more human issues like this, never thought I’d miss the drama of it all but now I was caught up in a mess with egos, demons and spirits. I shouldn’t be feeling grateful as a dear friend cried into my shoulder for some unknown reason but I was because it was human, it was something that I was very familiar with and not in the same way I was familiar with Damien’s voice or Dark’s presence. 

Mark and I sat there for a while just speaking softly to each other about random nothingness, just enjoying each other’s company. He had stopped crying about 10 minutes ago and was just playing with my hair as we spoke, not caring about the yawning that happened constantly in our tired states. It was an odd sensation, to be like this with Mark but I wasn’t complaining as he needed this.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

 

_ The area around me seemed to be a dorm room or flat of sorts, with basic items in the living room and kitchen. There was no form of modern technology so I could only guess that this was meant to be in the past. “Damien?” I called out as I walked further into the living room. The warmth of the fire that crackled away behind me was enjoyable and really set the atmosphere.  _

_ The sound of humming drew closer to what seems to be a younger version of Damien walked over, only for him to stop and look shocked at the fact we were there. He was dressed formally as always, only that his blazer was folded over his forearm. “Sunshine? What are you doing here?” He asks as a small laugh fluttered into his tone.  _ Sunshine? Who’s that? _ I question internally as he throws his blazer gently onto a chair and walks over. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to see you here! I mean… I was so sure I’d see you at the dance… Um. Forgive me, I’m unsure what to say.” Damien rambles as he rubs the back of his neck, looking away as he talks.  _

_ “I figured I’d see you before the dance, just in case we can’t spend time together during it. You always do have girls all over you.” I say without much thought, figuring the lie would be easier to deal with than having to explain that I wasn’t this ‘Sunshine’ person.  _

_ A blush coated the man’s cheeks as he takes in what I say. “You think so…? I don’t think I’ve ever noticed, then again Mark always jokes about how I’m rather oblivious with women…” He chuckles before letting his eyes fall on me, his eyes widen as he scans my form. “Wow… Y-You look wonderful!” Damien breathes out, his blush darkening in colour before he pulls me into a hug.  _

_ Damien’s grip suddenly faded away and the flames in the fireplace blew out, turning the room dark before lighting once more only more dimly.  _

_ The scene around me changed to a more dishevelled Damien pacing around, an angered expression on his face while his version of Mark tried to calm him down. “Dames, it was one person flirting and it’s not like you’re even with her so I don’t know why you think it’s okay to react like this.” Mark rolled his eyes and he grabbed Damien’s shoulders to stop him moving.  _

_ The future mayor growled at that and pushed him off before getting in his face and arguing with him. “She’s our friend Mark! My sunshine! I couldn’t just let him think that he could treat her like that! The audacity of it all!” He yells as he continues his pacing, his hands were gripping onto his upper arms tightly as he tried to contain himself. Only to growl and glare at the front door as someone knocks. “I should have punched him! Maybe that would have given him the hint!” He muttered before shouting out: “GO AWAY!” _

_ Mark threw his hands up in clear frustration at the situation. “He was being friendly…” He muttered as he walked over to me, whispering apologises for Damien’s outbursts. “And to think that this is the first time you’re seeing his infamous temper…” He shook his head before telling Dames to calm down once again before stating that Damien was terrible at fighting upon hearing Damien mutter about punching the mystery man once again.  _

_ It was all rather confusing but at the same time very frustrating to the point I stomped over to Damien and forced him to sit down on a chair and exclaiming for him to calm down. I nearly broke my serious stance as the shocked look on his face was strangely comedic.  _

_ A small stare down later and Damien decided to give up his angry tirade and instead made his way to his room. Mark apologised once more before escorting me out. _

_ A flash of light blinded me or a moment before I found myself back at the manor, I glanced down at myself to see myself in a grey suit with the old watch that Wilford ‘gave back’ to me clinging to my right wrist.  _ Weird, I usually clip it to my left…  _ I think before I look around me. It seemed to be a portion of the garden, and it was turning to night time as the moon raised past the twilight in the distance.  _

_ A relaxed sigh left my lips as looked out into the distance, I would have been more relaxed if it wasn’t for the lively sounds of people inside. The sound of someone walking towards me made my gaze break away from the sky and draw it back towards the manor to see Damien walking towards me, his hair slightly dishevelled in a rather attractive way. _

_ “You seem to be enjoying yourself out here, old friend.” He speaks out as he pulled me into a warm hug. “Though I do fear that you’re becoming chilled to the bone.” He said, his tone slightly slurred as alcohol affected him, as he nuzzled his face against the top of my head. I looked over his shoulder to see the Colonel looking at us through the window, as soon as he noticed that I saw him he gave me a goofy smile and a thumbs up before being offered another drink from the butler. Something about the gesture he threw my way made my cheeks flare up into a blush, the embarrassment driving me to plant my face into Damien’s shoulder. _

_ A light chuckle sounded out from the distance alerting us to a presence a small bit away. Damien turned to face the person before making a small, almost embarrassed sound.  _

_ The sound of a door closing made me aware of whoever was once there had gone back inside.  _

_ Damien’s hold on me tightened and a small but happy sigh left his lips. “I’ve missed you, sunshine. I can’t believe it’s been so long since we last spent quality time together!” He gushed as he pulled out of the hug and held my cheeks in his hands. “And I think I’m completely drunk…!” His drunk laughing cuts him off as he tries to keep himself up as he can’t use me to keep him up. The DA should have been drunk at this point too so I can only imagine how she was. “You know… I always did like you. Love, even. I adored you, sunshine! My sunshine… Why did I stop calling you that…?” Damien places his hands on my shoulders to keep himself stable as he confesses. I mention if he wanted to date and the look on Damien’s face as he heard that could brighten anyone’s day. “A date?! Yesyesyesyesyesyes! Please! I-I’ll plan it!” He rambles as he pulls me back into the manor. _

_ A chuckle left my lips as I watched the mayor stumble over to the Colonel and gush about what happened, a large and goofy but proud smile curled at the military man’s lips as he watched his best friend talk about how happy he was that he was going on a date. _

_ Soon the all too familiar scenes of the poker night went passed and soon I was back at the mirror, the sound of the Colonel’s laughter in the distance. I glared at Dark as he tried to get used to walking, it would have been funny if I couldn’t hear my voice begging and pleading for Damien to come back and let them out. I was a bystander by this point, my point of view no longer matching with the DA’s. I sigh and walk over to the past version of Dark and watch as he uses Damien’s cane to keep him up, the fact he was using a body that had been going through rigor mortis was proving to be a bother if I interpreted his frustrated expression. A small laugh did eventually leave my lips before I went away to try and find William.  _

_ The Colonel did seem to be searching the house for his lover and his best friend, scanning every room thoroughly as he continued to call out their names. “Damien? Come on, your girl is downstairs waiting for you!” He called out as he opened the door to the room Damien had been staying in, his hopeful smile dropping once more as the hope and determination in his eyes faded just a little bit more, just as it did with each room checked. “Are you two changing your hiding spots? That’s cheating, you know!” He exclaimed in desperation as he examined the room for any signs of the mayor and his sister. _

_ A frown had practically cemented itself to my face as I watched my dear friend slowly lose his hope, his sanity already mostly gone at this point. A frustrated growl left his lips as he stomped off outside, I followed close behind as I knew he couldn’t see me. He had checked every room twice over at this point. “They must have left the bloody manner, the cheek of it!” He huffed as he took off his glasses and tried to rub the never fading tears from his face. I guess a part of him knew the truth even with his fractured mind and was busy griefing while the rest of him acted out. It broke my heart.  _

_ William continued to walk away from the manor, probably to check Damien’s home like he said he did, and as I tried to follow him I was stopped by a firm hand on my shoulder. “Please don’t…” Wilford’s voice sounded out as he moved to stand by my side. “Some things are best left in the past, old chap.” He muttered as his hand slid down from my shoulder to my hand.  _

 

_ “Time to wake up.” _

 


	11. Retrogression

I awoke with a start but I calmed myself down as I noticed a certain goof clung to me while he was fast asleep. I ran a hand through his hair gently, a small smile growing on my face as I watched him smile and nuzzle his face into my shoulder. 

My eyebrows furrowed at the fact that Wilford had shown up in my dream instead of the usual suspects but any questions I had were soon answered as I looked at the bottom of my bed to see the reporter wave at me. “You were taking a while to wake up.” He whispered as he clicked his fingers and made me teleport into his lap. “Work time…!” He exclaimed in a whisper as he clicked his fingers once again before I could protest. 

I, of course, begrudgingly agreed to help Wilford with his latest interview as I knew if I said no that he’d beg childishly for me to help until I said yes. I did owe him for the job anyway and I’m sure the Grumps could look after Mark until I get back so there really wasn’t a reason to say no. I was just glad that I wasn’t in my sleepwear as we walked into the studio that was usually run by Bim but it was used by Wilford for planned out interviews and the Jims for Jim News. 

A sigh left my lips as I watched the man run off to get his equipment ready. I was usually there to keep him under control and to keep the interview derailing which leads to me landing in some really dangerous situations, the least dangerous would be me slapping weapons out of Wil’s hands with one of the most dangerous was a girl trying to kill us as she felt as if we were getting in the way of her love life. Good thing that Wil and I were used to people like her, with one of the Iplier egos being the same way, so we were quick to nope out of there with only minor injuries.

Almost an hour passed as the pastel man continued to run around getting things ready. The pastel blur was a familiar sight I was more than used to, a rather welcomed thing too - the black smoke appearing in the corner of my eye, however, was not. 

With a small turn, I look up at the demon standing next to me. Dark was looking off in Wilford’s direction almost as if he hadn’t even noticed my presence right next to him. “Oh look, it’s tall, dark and brooding.” I chuckle out, gaining Dark’s attention. A small smile made its way to his lips, confusing me. “What brings you to the studio?” I ask, letting my gaze shift over to Wilford now panting while holding himself up using a chair he had just placed down. He never learns to pace himself. 

“I was actually hoping to speak to Wil about something, but I can see that he’s busy. New interview, mayhaps?” He replied, his voice distorting in annoyance when he mentioned that Wilford was busy. I nod to answer his question before letting him know that I had no idea who we were interviewing. “That’s odd, Bim told me that you’re usually informed on the interviewee.” Dark mentioned, looking down at me before cracking his neck. My cheeks flushing slightly at the sight. 

I shook my head slightly before looking up at him. “Why are you trying to be friendly?” I ask as my eyes narrow at the suited man. A slightly nervous look appeared on his face before it faded into his usual scowl as his arms shifted behind him, reminding me of how I would do the same when trying to regain composure.

Dark simply shrugged and continued to watch Wilford try his hardest to get the studio together while also trying to not collapse. “Wil, pace yourself!” Dark called out, worry clearly echoing in his voice as Wil exaggeratingly collapses onto a sofa off to the side of the room. The demon sighed heavily once Wilford exclaimed that he was nearly done and just proceeded to watch the pastel blur move erratically again. “He’s certainly pulling out all the stops for this guest… and it’s a little concerning.” 

I shrug and look up at the monochromatic man for a moment and stated that he was probably just trying to make the guest comfortable. Dark hummed slightly to let me know that he heard me as he continued to stand next to me as we watched our mutual friend run around like an idiot. I was so busy wrapped up in keeping an eye on Wil that I didn’t notice that Dark and I had gotten rather close together until our arms were touching. 

The atmosphere suddenly became more than awkward as Dark and I just stood there, looking away from each other as if seeing the other would make the situation worse. It was if we were teenagers which was embarrassing. 

A moment went by before I got pulled off to the side to help Bim take over the preparations as Wilford had somehow knocked himself out. The ‘Bad News Doctor’ that was Dr Iplier was looking at Wilford to make sure he didn’t end up with a concussion. A sigh left my lips as I set up the main camera that looked directly onto the set, the HQ set was certainly fancy compared to any makeshift set that Wilford could summon but it was too clean for me if that made sense. I prefer it when Wilford and I head out for interviews as it typically was something of a bonding experience between us rather than work.

Suddenly the studio grew dark and music started to play, indicating that Wilford was awake and deemed the interview was going to start. I quickly rushed to the side of the set where my boss was, taking my spot by his side. I gaze up at the ex-military man to see a more than menacing look on his face as he was lost in thought before shaking his head and returning my gaze, a small smile on his face. _ That can’t be good. _ My gaze once again shifted to look over at the other boss of the HQ to see he either had no reaction to it or he didn’t notice, however, our eyes did meet for a second and a small smile curled onto his lips.

 

_ Damien’s smiling face was something that wouldn’t leave my mind as I made my way to the library, a common place for the boys and I to meet up whenever we had a break from our lessons. I think back to when Damien and I met, at that very library, the sunlight that shone through the window made him look like an angel and I could've sworn that my heart stopped once I saw him. It was only until a few months ago that I realised my feelings for the man.  Mark always joked it was love at first sight and deemed it necessary to vow he’d try his hardest to get Dames and me together. That goof. Good thing his attempts at being Eros never got in the way of studies or work. _

 

Wilford shook me gently before pulling me up onto the set with him, leading me to my seat that was right beside his. I sat in my seat after doing introducing myself to the camera and waited for Wilford to do the same. My eyes drift over to Dark, rather shocked to see that he was watching the show as he avoided even talking to Wilford about the interviews, there was something about the subtle light in the dark studio that made the demon seem more appealing. My cheeks flushed at the fact that I was finding Dark attractive but I couldn’t help myself, even if I hated or distrusted the man I was attracted to him. Celine made a joke noise of disgust before focusing her attention on the man who was once her lover.

My attention was dragged back over to the reporter that was busy talking about various news stories that the Jims had collected, padding for the show before the main event - something that was my idea as the interviews typically ended quickly because Wil’s eccentricity mixed with his nasty habit of murdering the interviewees after a joke gone wrong.

The Jims were off to the side as they watched their news clips be used in the show, watching excitedly as they always did. A small chuckle left my lips as I looked at their excited grins, they were practically bouncing. That was something that I couldn’t help but adore, the ego’s smiles. I even enjoyed it when Dark smiled genuinely, even if he was quick to scowling again.

 

_ There had been plenty of times where I thought about confessing my feelings, just to have them out in the air and I did try acting on those thoughts but I always stopped myself because I was worried that it would ruin our friendship. I didn’t want him to believe that I was his friend just so I could get close to him. Not that my trying to keep the friendship would matter if he knew the truth about what happened about that one party, Mark keeps hinting at it - lucky for me that Damien was a rather innocent man, when sober anyway. _

_ I remember the morning afterwards very well, me trying to sneak out of their flat and Mark catching me and teasing me for my actions. He promised not to tell Damien outright, especially if he didn’t remember because of how drunk he was but that promise didn’t stop the constant hints and teasing which would lead to rather awkward conversations between my beloved and I.  _

 

Soon the time for the interview to begin came around and that look appeared on Wilford’s face earlier was back once again. Something told me that whoever his guest was, they weren’t in for a good time and that I’d have to be more on alert than usual. My face started to pale as I noticed the red and green variations of Google dragging someone that seemed to be Mark onto the stage after Wilford called out for his guest to come onto the set. 

I felt sick as Mark was tied down to a plain wooden chair, his tired and confused gaze burned into my scared one. I couldn’t try to imagine what he was thinking. I remembered the video in which ‘Wilford’ interviewed Mark and obviously I was worried about ‘repeat’ of events and I could only guess that he was worried too. Soon Mark was being questioned by Wil, the questions starting in a typical manner of collecting basic information before the questions started to begin to grow darker. 

My eyes fell upon Dark again to see him shift his weight rather nervously as if he didn’t enjoy what Wilford was doing but he didn’t make a move to stop him. Even if he didn’t, I would. Sure, considering the fact that Wil had ownership of more than one gun it was likely I was going to get shot if I mess up but Mark is my friend.

 

_ I had first met Mark on my first day of University. I had done the stupid thing and tried carrying too much which blocked out my sight, obviously as I couldn’t see I ended up knocking into something, that something being a very cocky theatre student that was Mark. I was cautious when he and I were just acquaintances but we soon came to be good friends. _

_ I will never regret being his friend, I just wish I was there when his wife left him - he was broken. _

 

Quickly enough the questions shifted into something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Each question was pointing to the fact he was going to bring up what happened and if I wasn’t feeling sick before, I certainly was now. Mark tried giving answers to most of the questions despite his tired state but clearly, the answers weren’t enough for the reporter.

Wilford clicked his tongue, making his frustration and disdain for the YouTuber very clear. His hands slid down his suspenders, trying to regain his failing composure before glaring at the man in front of him. “Now would you say that you upon discovering that your wife slept with let’s say… a man who was practically your brother that you’d concoct a plan that would lead to your death and the heartbreak and deaths of people you claimed to love?!”

“Enough Wilford! You’re taking this too far!” Dark spoke up, his voice distorting heavily as his shell broke, blue and red flicking out from his monochromatic form while the sound of static filled the area. He stepped onto the stage and used his abilities to send the cameras flying backwards, using the chaos as a distraction I ran to Mark’s side and untied him, pulling him close as I ran out of the studio.

 

_ It broke my heart greatly to know that I could never see Damien again, him being lost as a part of that demon that stole my body while I remained trapped in a broken mirror. The area around me as pure white with subtle black cracks to remind me that this prison was linked to the void that the Seer brought me to so she and my beloved could convince me to help them.  _

_ Admittedly, I only helped because of Damien. That woman had given me no reason to help her, not after she singled me out. _

_ I sat there rather bored ever since I was trapped, refusing to look out of the only window I had to the real world as I didn’t want to know how much time passed since I’ve been imprisoned. It would just make everything worse. The pain and longing…. _

_ I missed Damien, I missed Mark, I missed the detective and the Colonel, I missed my friends. Hell, I missed my annoying colleagues! I didn’t blame the Colonel for shooting me, I couldn’t!  _

_ I got in front of his gun, I tried to take it from him and I paid the consequences for that. I just wanted out.  _

_ I wanted to be free, and when I was… That damned demon was going to pay for taking my friends away from me. I just want to live again. My friends back. _

 

I shook my head and continued to run with a tight grip on Mark’s hand, I didn’t want to risk losing him. I wasn’t sure as to why Wilford would assume that the two Mark’s were the same person but I certainly couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. This Mark just seemed far too much like Damien. As we ran I tried to ignore the nagging feeling in my head and the constant questions from Mark asking what was going on as he tried to remain calm. I couldn’t fault him for wanting answers, now just wasn’t the time. 

Celine had been too busy giving directions around the town as we ran to really comment on what had happened, and I really wasn’t given the chance to speak to her as she’d keep flying off and confirming the route she was making me take.  _ I just need to get home. _ I called out to her, hoping that she could hear my thoughts from there but I really doubted so.

 

_ The sound of a creaking door alerted me to the fact that someone drew near to my prison, a familiar voice began to call out my name. “Mr Jackson?” I called out, hoping that the Irishman would notice my voice but I figured that I probably couldn’t be heard by the man as he just continued to call for me. _

_ Mr Jackson was a fellow attorney and was the last person I spoke to before I left for the gettogether so it only made sense that he’d be the first one to look for me. Soon he was in front of the mirror that held me, gazing curiously at the cracked glass as his fingers grazed over the lines. I could see his shining blue eyes, I could see the tired look that clung to him. How long had he looked for me? Now I wished I kept track of the passing days. I had known it to be a small while since I was thrown in here, considering I could no longer hear the Colonel’s cries for the siblings but that was about it.  _

_ “Jameson…” I sighed out, closing my eyes and placing my hand where his was, not enjoying the fact I couldn’t so much as speak to him. We used to be classmates and colleagues once upon a time and now here we were. I was struggling to wrap my head around it still.  _

_ “Songbird?” Songbird. Jameson gave me the name after catching me sing to myself as I worked on paperwork, as much as I tried to tell him I wasn’t much of a singer, the nickname stuck. “Are you… in there?” His question shocked me and caused me to open my eyes and look at him. I could see a dim orange glow practically reflect off of his glasses, confusing me slightly as I tried to speak more to my friend.  _

_ Soon a familiar dark presence coated the room that the mirror was in, terrifying me to the core as I began to fear for my friend, it made the orange glow seem much more obvious. James backed away from the mirror slightly before reaching out for the mirror. The next thing I remember was a bunch of flashes of orange and shades of green before darkness swallowed my prison. And, to be honest, that was the last thing I could remember - apart from James’s screams. _


	12. Roses

I sat on my bed holding with the two similar watches, one that was the DA’s and one that I didn’t even remember receiving, as far as I could remember it was a friend that gave it to me but it felt like it just appeared out of nowhere. It looked identical as if it was trying to replicate the actual antique but all the scuffs and wear was manufactured into the design. Someone tried to recreate the DA’s watch for whatever reason but the way it was powered was different.

I much prefer wearing the DA’s old watch, though I should probably just start calling her belongings mine considering everything, as it worked a lot better despite being a little slow but that could be chalked down to its age.

I was busy focusing on the watch because I was trying to avoid walking out and being bombarded with questions from Mark, Arin and Danny. Apparently, I was practically out of it when Mark and I arrived. I was acting as if I was someone completely different but I couldn’t remember. I just remember following Celine and then waking up to Ace curled up by my side.

The sound of a door opening and closing let me know that someone had walked in, most likely Mark as he knew me better so wouldn’t feel as inclined to be polite. I gaze up at him to see him looking as if he’s lost in thought.  
“Why didn’t you tell me about them?” Mark’s baritone voice sounded out, sending a chill down my spine with how cold he sounded. The lack of warmth in his voice felt wrong but I understood why he was acting like that, I kept something big away from him but I at least hoped that he would have taken it similarly to Sean when he did eventually find out.

A sigh left my lips as I looked down at Ace who was curled up in my lap, purring slightly while rubbing his head gently against one of my hands. I had a feeling he could feel that I was nervous. “I didn’t know how to tell you. Sean only found out because he showed up out of the blue.” And I think I dropped myself in it with that sentence.

“Sean knows?!” Mark whisper yelled at me, making sure that the Grumps didn’t hear him. He groaned in frustration before sitting at the edge of the bed. “I can’t believe this… They can’t be real!” He exclaimed, pushing his hands through his hair as he tried to comprehend the situation.

Ace took this chance to jump off of the bed and transform back into Anti. “Oh, we’re real, laddy. And your buddy there is friends with a good number of us.” Anti stated, smirking proudly at Mark’s shocked face. “Now, are you gonna behave and be like Sean or are you gonna be a problem for my little Songbird?” He asked, getting in Mark’s face slightly as he said that before backing away with a rather aloof look on his face. “Either way, you know now. Can’t change that.”

Mark gulped and backed away from Anti to the point he was sitting next to me by the headboard. “Anti, calm down.” I mutter, my gaze now back to the watches in my hands. I clipped the older watch onto my wrist and placed the replica back on the nightstand, not caring too much if I had to lean over Mark to reach it. “Mark is my friend just as much as you or Sean, so I won’t let you harm him.” I state, my attention now on the imp as I spoke to him.

The imp huffed slightly before transforming back into a cat and running over to once again curl into my lap. My hand instinctively went to start petting his head as it always did.

We sat there for a while in the quiet while Danny and Arin provided ambience with them finding my games, a couple of Arin’s outbursts and Danny’s following laughter did cause laughter from me and Mark to escape but apart from that we were silent.

Once the Grumps quietened down, I turned to look up at the American next to me. Mark was fiddling with his hands rather nervously and his gaze kept shifting between me and his hands making his nervousness much more apparent. “Are you okay?” I ask softly, taking his hands in mine to grab his attention even more. “You seem nervous about something… is it to do with why you were crying?”

The man next to me nodded his head gently, a small blush on his cheeks as he kept his gaze away from me. “I just… I fucked up. Badly and I… I don’t know how or if I could ever fix what I did…” His voice would have been barely audible if I were further away but luckily I was leaning pretty close to him. “I… Fuck, I shouldn’t even be allowed next to you.” He stated, confusing me because I couldn’t really think of a reason why he shouldn’t be allowed near me. “I’m sorry.”

A small moment went by before I felt a soft pressure against my lips. Just there for a few seconds and very light but I could swear that my lips were tingling once he pulled away. I looked around the room rather confused before resting my eyes on the man who kissed me, he was looking off at a corner almost as if he was waiting for me to do something. _Does he think I’ll hit him?_ My thoughts questioned as I brought my hand up to his face. Mark flinched slightly before relaxing into the hand that was gently stroking his cheek.

“I’m not angry, more confused than anything…” I mutter before a bang in the front room catches my attention. I let Mark know that I’ll be right back before rushing off to see what the noise was about.

A small sound of struggling happened before I heard: “Mark, what the hell?!” come from Arin’s mouth as he glared up at the ego that stood in front of him. Mr Tall, Dark and Brooding glared back at him for a moment before resting his eyes on me. Arin looked between us confused while Danny held a growling Chica back. “Y-You’re not Mark, are you?” The grump asked, only receiving a cold smirk in reply.

The demon made his way over to me, his dark aura growing to cover me as he stood just a few steps away. **“Why is he here?”** Dark spoke out, his voice distorting and echoing in the way it does when he wants to be intimidating, it had a completely different effect on me, however, and I was worried he knew that. **“Have you not listened to my warnings? I will protect him from Wilford, sure, but I will not allow him near you in such a manner.”** He hissed, closing the distance between us.

“Dark, leave her alone.” Mark spoke out from his place at the doorway catching the demon’s attention. Dark growled lowly at the YouTuber before pulling me into his chest. “I’m not going to hurt her. I would never-” He was cut off by Dark’s very loud laughter. “What’s so funny?”

It took a moment for the monochromatic man to calm down his laughter, his hand gently patting my hair as he glared at the man in front of him. “Oh, don’t give me that bullshit! I know who you are. You don’t care, you never did!”

“And you do?!” Mark exclaimed, stepping closer to us.

Their voices began to drown as a headache crept up on me, causing me to screw my eyes closed as I fought the pain. The ringing sound that Dark’s aura produced made the situation worse, as flashes of pain crossed my forehead and stung my eyes. Small whines of pain left my lips but the two were too busy arguing to notice and the Grumps most likely couldn’t hear anything over the ringing sound of the black shadows covering us.

The darkness and ringing and the pain and a soothing voice pulled me into the veils of unconsciousness and away from the shouting, unintelligible voices.

 

_The forest around me was calming, the blue hue of the night sky coated the area and made a typically calming location all that much better. The smell of petrichor and the scent of cherry blossoms in the air helped with the peaceful atmosphere._

_I was taken out of the peaceful atmosphere as arms wrapped around my waist alerting me to his presence. The blue hue of the surroundings had already told me who it was so I wasn’t worried. “Hello again, Sunshine.” Damien’s voice purred slightly as he pulled my back against his chest. “I felt this would be appropriate considering what you were going through. Celine was ready to send things flying at them but I didn’t want them alerted to her presence.” He explained, nuzzling against my hair gently. I thank him and turn in his arms and hug him tightly._

_The two of us stay like that for a while, something I’m sure that Damien was happy for._

_The sound of something that sounded like mumbled words in French sounded out, causing me to pull away slightly and look up at the mayor. He stopped what he was mumbling before giving me a shy smile and began singing an unfamiliar song in French. The warmth in his eyes and voice, as well as the loving look on his face, was surely the reason for my face flushing heavily which the man just had to point out._

_A thought crossed my mind and caused me to speak. “Do you know what they’re arguing about?” I ask softly as the man looking down at me_ stroked _my cheek. Damien’s smile dropped slightly and nodded, but said he didn’t want to get into it and how the argument devolved into something childish but his sister would only tell him so much. Her anger was higher than her amusement at the situation._

_A sigh left his lips and he ran his hand through his hair before his head picked up and his eyes seemed to light up as if a bulb just went off in his head. He threw a large grin my way before excusing himself, saying he’ll be back in a moment and running off leaving me in the meadow rather confused._

_My surroundings began to warp and shift into what seemed to be an old-fashioned restaurant and Damien stood off to the side by a table for two looking immaculate as always. A chuckle left my lips as I walked to his side and let him pull my chair out for me and let him help me tuck my chair in after I sat down. Damien quickly sat down in his chair and gave me his amazing beaming smile._

_“I figured that because we couldn’t have a date all those years ago we can have the next best thing now. I don’t know how to manipulate your dream realm to conjure up some food but well… We don’t need food to make a date good, we have each other after all.” His words made my cheeks blush and confirmed to for me that Dark’s silver tongue came from him as Damien certainly had a way with words._

_The date went by swimmingly despite the lack of food and most other things that happened on dates. But Damien made sure he took every opportunity he had to make me blush whether it be from his words or simple motions like holding my hand, after a few hours I was a piece of blushing putty in his hands and after our restaurant date we laid peacefully in the meadow coated in thornless white, blue and orange roses._

_I laid next to the mayor with my head on his chest, wishing I could hear the heartbeat of this angel in human clothing while said man was busy playing gently with my hair as he muttered sweet nothings. I could only imagine the things this man would do if he was still alive._

_A happy sigh left my lips as I snuggled into his chest more, a happy sound left Damien in response and his arms proceeded to wrap around me tightly. “Oh, how I wish we had this… I’d dreamt of this so many nights when we were still studying that it’s rather bittersweet that we have a version of it now. After we both died.” He sighed out, his arms tightening slightly as he thought aloud. My hand almost immediately reached up to stroke his cheek gently, trying to calm him down._

_Damien looks at me as if he was grateful for the gesture before making the pair of us sit up. “Do you want to know why I call you my Sunshine?” He asked, chuckling to himself after receiving an almost immediate nod from me. “It’s because you light up my life. Seeing you always brightened my day and when I met you it was as if I had gained something I didn’t realise I had been missing for so long, it was if I had spent eternity in a dark cave not knowing the feeling of the sun on my face or its light. I knew practically instantly that I loved you, that I was in love with you. And obviously, I still am.” He explained, his eyes shining with a happiness that nearly stole the breath from my lungs. “Well, that and I thought it was a nice match to my childhood nicknames which always revolved around my love of the moon. Heck, Will used to call me Moon before he left for the military.” He chuckled out, his hand once again on my cheek pulling my face closer to his. “Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. I hope we can have this again soon, my love.” He muttered, his lips brushing mine in such a tempting manner, before laying me down on the meadow floor._

_I didn’t want to go but as darkness surrounded us to the point as the only thing I could see was him, I knew I’d be back very soon. We’d both make sure of it._

 

When I awoke Dark was leaning over me asking if I was okay. _He seems genuinely worried._ I looked around to find that I was still in the living room, Arin and Danny were no longer in the flat or were in my bedroom but I doubted that, and Mark was being held back by Sean at the other end of the room. I look at Sean and then at the demon holding me to him as if to ask why he was there, my voice being lost once again. Dark quickly explained in a mumble that a fight broke out and Anti teleported Sean there to try and keep Mark calm.

Anti stood off in one of the corners of the room, keeping an eye on things from a distance. I shift away from the silver-tongued demon a small bit and beckon the glitch over. Anti was quick to shift into Ace and run over, leaping onto my shoulders and hissing slightly at his rival. Sean also made his way over, helping me up and guiding me over to a now calm Mark.

We stood there awkwardly for a moment before I pulled the dark haired man into a tight hug before pulling out my phone and opening the soundboard app. I played several clips to let him know it was probably best to leave before guiding the sad looking man over to the door. I sigh silently before giving him a small smile and playing a clip of his outro as I kissed his cheek. Sean, being the helpful bean he was, was quick to grab Chica, put her on a leash before following her master out.

Ace left in his typical cloud of green smog and left me alone with Dark. The monochromatic demon was quick to be by my side but backed away when I glared at him. I, in full view of the man, texted Gracie asking if she wanted to get coffee before staring the demon in the face as I put on my favourite jacket and leaving the flat.

As soon as I got to the local cafe I was pulled into a booth by the one and only Gracie. She had five different cups in front of her and a very concerned look on her face.

Asking Gracie for coffee had always been a code between us. It usually meant that I was once again mute and needed time away from something and luckily for me, Gracie would always agree to help. That and it meant she could head to the one cafe that would give her free drinks and the woman was addicted to caffeine despite my constant nagging at her about it. She would come here normally but she lived twenty or so miles away and she, like my current roommate, was lazy. Well, when her job let her be.

“So, what’s up?” She asked, her usual bubbly voice reminding me of an anime character almost. I make the shape of a heart with my hands then throw my hands up in the air in frustration. “Romance problems? That’s new. Well, it’s not new, it has just been awhile… but you know what I mean!” I nod and hold up three fingers, knowing that she knew what it would mean. Her jaw dropped slightly before she went back to drinking from the disposable cup she had in her hands. “How’d you land three guys?” I throw my hands up to show that I didn’t really know before allowing my forehead to rest on the table, groaning silently to myself.

Gracie and I had a small back and forth for a little bit before she was being called back to work. We parted ways but not before promising another camping trip soon as our last one was interrupted by Sean’s worrying.

The walk back to the flat was a slow one as I was allowed to collect my thoughts. I was in love with a dead man, was sexually attracted to a demon and might be in love with him and I had feelings for a man who was already in a happy relationship. _What has my life become?_ I think to myself as I pretend to not head Celine giggling at my woes.

 ** _It could always be worse, dear Aurora._ ** Celine cooed jokingly as she followed me home. Aurora was something she called me because of Damien’s nickname for me. That and she liked the sound of it, so she called me it.

When I got back to my flat I found it rather empty. Ace was still gone and Dark must’ve left shortly after I did so it was really quiet. A quiet little flat. I grew so used to the noise the egos brought that I now hated the silence, or at least silence because no one was there. A silent sigh left my lips as I placed my jacket back on the coat rack and made my way to my room to collect my journal before stopping at an odd sight.

My room was neatly made up as if no one had been in it. Everything was well organised, there were no clothes hanging out of my drawers or wardrobe, all pictures were perfectly straight and the bed was properly made. But that wasn’t what got to me. What got to me was something laying gently on the pillow.

A bouquet of blood red roses laid there. 12 beautiful red roses with a note.

For my only Sunshine - D.


	13. A New Roommate

A few weeks went by before any of the egos, apart from Anti, showed up at my flat so it was quite the surprise when I opened my door after coming back from a small job, that Wilford had told me to do via text, to see practically all the egos that showed up to meetings just resting in my living room. 

I looked around, rather confused to see a dishevelled Dark peaking out at me from the doorway that lead to my bedroom, I quickly ran off to his side. “What’s going on?” I just managed to ask him before he pulled me into my room and shut the door behind me.

“They just followed me here.” Dark groaned out before collapsing onto my bed. “William’s on the warpath, something I haven’t seen in quite a few decades and I’m in agony.” He stated before shifting onto his front. A sigh sounded out from him before he used his shadows to sneak into my ensuite and steal some meds from my medicine cabinet. I raised my eyebrows at his behaviour, not used to him acting so human but shrugged it off and sat gently down by the headboard, my gaze falling to the vase which held the 12 red roses which seemed to refuse to die.

Dark sat up to take the painkillers before shifting so his back was also resting on the headboard. “Why are you here?” I asked while letting my head fall on his shoulder so it didn’t feel like I was just a moment away from falling off of my bed. My face became coated with a blush when the demon laid his arm across my shoulders, pulling me into him further. 

He was silent for a moment before he spoke. “I wanted to talk to you about me moving in for a bit, get some time away from the other egos. That, and I want to keep Anti in line. Who knows what that damned creature might do.” He explained, pulling me even closer as he spoke. When he finished he lifted my head gently so I was looking up at him. “I won’t get in the way.” He promised with a slight purr in his voice, a small cheeky smile curling at the edges of his lips. “Well, unless you want me to that is.” I cursed mentally at myself as I felt my cheeks flare up once again, making my attraction to the man obvious. 

It wasn’t fair that he gained Damien’s way with words as it meant he knew exactly what to say to make me putty in his hands. 

A chuckle left his lips before he pulled me down to lie next to him, grunting under his breath in pain as he did so. “This feels right…” He mumbled as he pulled me onto his chest. 

“It’s not like I really have a choice in this...” I grumbled as I tried to speak through his shirt. The demon under me chuckled at my attempt to talk and made a sound that I could only interpret as him agreeing with my statement. I groan slightly at the fact I’d be stuck with the man but I suppose he’d bring a bit of order to the chaos that followed Anti. 

I wasn’t really sure as to how long I was in there laying on Dark but we did eventually move when he teleported us to the front room once we heard a lot of shouting. Turns out Anti thought it would be an amazing idea to threaten to revert Google’s updates and make him glitch out once again and wouldn’t explain why he threatened him when Dark confronted him. A sigh left my lips when Anti ran behind me to use me as a shield as he knew that the Iplier egos wouldn’t harm me. 

I didn’t need to look behind me to know that the imp had a shit-eating grin stretched across his face. “Get away from her and act like an adult, will you?” Dark hissed out, stepping close to me as an attempt to get in Anti’s face without having to rip me out of the way because Anti’s arms were wrapped tightly around my waist.  **_I believe that fact is making Dark much more hostile towards the thing._ ** Celine chirped seeming rather happy that Dark’s confrontation was against the creature she showed obvious disdain for. “Let go of her.” The demon growled, his shadows beginning to coat the walls of my home. 

“Why the fuck should I? She’s my lovely roommate and I’m just hugging her.” Anti stated, his cockiness even more evident but his ego was quickly shot at once Dark’s own cocky grin spread across his lips. 

A low chuckle sounded out before Dark had his shadows rip Anti’s arms off of me. The monochrome man proceeded to wrap his own arms around me and pull me close to him, thankfully not commenting on my flushed face. “Funnily enough, she’s my roommate too. So, you better start taking what I say with at least some seriousness considering we’re going to be living under the same roof.” Dark’s voice echoed with the same confidence that he seemed to radiate almost constantly. 

The rest of the egos made various noises of shock, Google speaking up to state how Dark living with me would be inefficient and would not help with their primary objective at all but Dark’s attention was on keeping Anti away from me as the two started to argue about who got to hold me. The vast range of voices were slowly ingraining a headache that I hope to get away from. A small growl worked its way up my throat as I tried to focus on pulling myself away from the cuddly demon. 

I made my way to the middle of the room glancing at all the arguing egos as I walked, stopping to stand on my metal coffee table. I was more than glad that I made sure I bought something that was strong. The Host made his way through the crowd of egos and sat down on the sofa, already aware of what was about to happen thanks to his amazing foresight. I knew the only way for all the egos to listen was a meeting, I had been to enough.

I take a deep breath before I cup my hands around my mouth and announce: “SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN!” something which was quick to gain everyone’s attention. Dark sat down in my armchair while Anti took the chair the opposite end of the room. The other egos either sat on the sofa or on the floor if they weren’t quick enough to gain a proper seat, the sight of all of them listening to me caused a small sigh of relief to leave me. “Thank you.” I start before stepping off of the coffee table and going to sit on the arm of my armchair, trying my best to ignore the demon who now had his arm around my waist. “I understand that this is… inconvenient..  for most of you as it means you won’t have one of your leaders close at hand but he does have a phone. I mean for goodness sakes, you’re adults please act like it to at least some degree.

“And Anti, while I understand that you don’t like Dark and are used to being the only other thing living with me you need to understand that you can’t just claim me or think you have an excuse to act certain ways just because I’m letting you live here.

“I am fully aware that it’s out of the blue, I only just found out about all of this today, but that doesn’t mean we can lose sight of who we are as people. Also, all of you talking at once was giving me a major headache which is something that Wilford and Sean can’t do even at their loudest.” That last sentence made almost everyone’s head fall in what was most likely shame, the only ones to seem okay with what I said was the Host and of course Dark and Anti. 

A few hours went by before Dark disappeared with the main egos, claiming he needed to speak to the other egos that didn’t follow him to explain why he wouldn’t be around as often which left Anti and I alone. 

The green-tinted imp was keeping himself busy in his room which was just a small walk up the stairs from the main flat. A sigh left my lips as I reflected on the sour look that was glued to his face since Dark announced that he’d be moving in, I didn’t want Anti to hate me for giving in to the demon’s wishes. I slowly made my way up the stairs, using the added time to think about what I needed to say to make the situation less bitter to the Irishman, he was my friend after all. 

Sounds of humming caught my attention. I had never known Anti to sing, or even listen to music so it was a first for me. I slowly opened the door, thankful that the landlord kept the door hinges oiled as it silently slid open revealing Anti fiddling with a broken monocle, his hair slicked back slightly as he sat calmly at the bottom of his bed. I watched as the imp sighed, placing the eyepiece down before messing his hair up. “I know you’re there. I can hear your heartbeat...” His voice trailed off as he tried to keep back the glitches that distorted it. “I… I guess have some explaining to do, huh? You asked a while back why I was so protective of you, right? That’s because you’re my best friend. My precious Songbird. I lost you once and I don’t want to lose you again… You’re all I had. 

“You and the other Septic egos are all I have left and I feel as if… I’m losing you to Dark. You don’t come home bitching about him anymore, you actually seem to enjoy his presence! I can’t lose you to him again!” He admitted, his voice glitching out as he reached the end of his sentence. He proceeded to rant about everything and anything which caused me to zone out for most of it.

Once my mind zoned in I froze at what he was ranting about. “And it’s always about Damien! I understand your need to feel love but what about your best friend? But no, once it comes to romance you never consider Jameson, you’re too in love with the mayor! Why do you have to be so in love with him?!” Anti, or should I say Jameson as he let slip, growled as he paced in front of me. My mind thought back to the dapper man I met when Henrik showed up to yell at Anti, there was no way Jameson and Anti were the same person, my mind just couldn’t link the two together.  _ But it did explain that memory.  _ I thought as I made my way out of the room, leaving the imp to cool off as it was clear that anything I said would just inflame his temper further.

I laid in the middle of a random field in the middle of nowhere, courtesy of Celine, trying to gather my thoughts about what I had learnt at home. I small groan left my lips as I felt another headache starting to form. Celine had decided it was best to stay quiet, most likely happy that the truth had come to light. 

A shadow that decided to loom over me broke me from my thoughts. “You okay there, partner?” The detective’s voice sounded out as he sat down next to me. “You seemed pretty lost in thought there.” He stated as he held out a hand to help me sit up, an offer I accepted as my back was starting to hurt under the hard ground. 

“At least I don’t say my thoughts aloud, Abe.” I tease, tapping the man’s nose playfully causing him to blush as he realised what I meant. Abe chuckled nervously before asking why I was there. “Well, I was just found out my roommate is someone I believed to be dead. My best friend.” I had grown to accept that I used to be the DA, allowing our memories to mix more each day under the careful gazes of the siblings.

Abe leaned back into his hands which he placed behind him, making a sound which indicated he was thinking before he looked at me again. “You mean Jameson Jackson, right? Wasn’t he your assistant back then?” I sigh and nod. “Huh, how is he still alive?” Abe asked, his head tilting as he did. 

I was about to say something when I actually began to think about it, I didn’t know how James became Anti. I just know that he did. All I remembered was James’s scared screams at the same time I was released from my prison so between then and now he became the creature I knew today. I look away for a moment before shrugging. “All I know is that he became Anti.” I told the detective, having no reason to lie to him. Abe’s eyebrows creased in confusion before shrugging it off himself. 

The detective stood up and pulled me up with him, causing me to end up in a small daze. Abe threw me a smile before asking if I wanted to get some coffee as he walked in the direction of what I guessed was the city he had come from. I run after him, looping my arm around his so I could keep up with his fast pace as I agreed to his offer. I had been in that field for a good few hours simply because I couldn’t figure out where I was.  _ Guess that’s just what happens when a spirit teleports you without a specific goal in mind. _ I jab jokingly at the red spirit, a smile growing on my face when I swore I heard a certain blue spirit starts to laugh. 

**_Oh, shush, at least I got you somewhere away from there. And I didn’t even know I could do that!_ ** Celine said defensively as her orb floated close behind me

Once we reached the cafe Abe was greeted happily by the baristas that were currently on shift and I joke with the detective about how popular he seemed to be, he jokingly shushed me while rolling his eyes as he lead me to a booth before he went over to the baristas and ordered. A small chuckle left my lips and I sat down in the booth which I guessed he claimed for whenever he visited the shop. Abe came back shortly after with two disposable cups and place one in front of me.

About three cups later the two of us were chatting away happily when a sudden pink puff of smoke alerted me to Wilford’s presence. “Old chap, I need your help with something!” The pastel man chirped out, his eyes shut as he beamed at me. My eyes drifted over to my companion to see that his jaw had dropped.  _ Well, I think it’s safe to say he recognises Wil. _ I thought as Celine gave a sound that let me know she agreed with me. “Now, why are you-” Wilford cut himself off as he opened his eyes and noticed the company I held. 

“YOU.” The pair of them chanted at the same time as they both proceeded to pull their guns out on each other. A groan left my throat as I watched the familiar scene play out. Celine’s nervous laughter sounded out causing my focus to land on her.  _ This is ridiculous. _ I thought, gaining a genuine laugh from the seer.  **_Agreed but there’s nothing we can do apart from taking their guns from them._ **

“Well, at least there isn’t a balcony this time.” I muttered accidentally catching their attention as they both chanted: “Too soon!” causing my hands to fly up in defence. “It was over 50 years ago…” I grumble before walking over and taking their guns from them, ignoring their complaints as I left the cafe with their weapons held firmly in my hands. The pair were quick to follow me as I made my way back to the field, already well aware that very few people walked through there so privacy wouldn’t be an issue.

_ I really should have thought this through.  _ I thought as I watched the detective run after the reporter but the ex-military man was predictably far too fast for the man as Wil practically ran rings around him. It would have been funny if it were any other two people but these two hated each other, and for good reason. We had been there for hours or so Celine told me after her orb rushed off in the direction of the city before coming back with some food for me, it was just a good thing that the two didn’t notice food floating towards me. 

The sun began to set as I watched over the two men with seemingly never-ending amounts of energy. Shades of orange, pink and red stained the blue sky as the sun slowly made its plunge towards the horizon line. My face scrunched up in discomfort as the colours began to blur together, my vision losing its focus more and more as time went on.

 

_ I lifted my head up to see an unfamiliar sight. I knew I had never been in this field before as I stood up from my place in the tall grass, accidentally catching the attention of the two men in the distance. One man was easy for me to recognise, he was the detective that I was the unwilling partner to. The other man, after changing the pastel colours to the military colours I was used to him wearing, was recognisable as the Colonel.  _

_ I was certainly happy to see the pair but the sight of Abe chasing after the Colonel practically made my blood freeze as I recalled how I died. I was just glad to be on the ground and that they had no guns in sight. I shake my head gently before looking over to the man who stepped out of the shadows which curled across the ground. _

Damien?  _ My thoughts called as I recognised the suited man almost instantly. Damien made his way towards me, a confident look on his face as his eyes met mine. My heart dropped slightly once I noticed his eyes lacking life. I had hoped that he fought the demon and won, only keeping the demon’s grey complexion due to the fact he was in a dead body but I knew that life wasn’t that kind as I looked up at him. “Are you alright, my dear?” His purr made my heart skip a beat much to my disgust.  _

_ “Don’t you dare speak to me, demon.” I cursed, backing away from him. Something cold hitting the back of my shoeless feet alerted me to the pistols on the ground.  _

_ The damned creature had the nerve to tilt his head in confusion. “What?” He muttered before shaking his head. “Sunshine, cut it out. It’s me. It’s Dark. I thought we got passed the whole you hating me thing.” He grumbled, making my face contort in distaste as he dared to utter my beloved’s name for me. I turn away to try and gain composure before making it seem as I was stretching, sneakily picking up one of the firearms that laid by my discarded flats. When I stood back up I paid attention to what the demon was saying again. “Darling, please. Just look at me.” He pleaded, his tone coated with false warmth but I could tell that his anger was rising.  _

_ “Go to hell!” I state as I put my flats back on my feet. I hid the firearm between the waistband of the weird trousers I wore and used the cardigan to cover it up further. I tried to move away from the spot but my wrist was grabbed harshly and soon I found my face far too close to the demon’s for my liking. Granted he may look like my darling but it just made my disgust for the creature greater.  _

**_“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”_ ** _ He shouted, his voice warping as he spoke. A strange ringing sound filled the air as his shadows grew and consumed our surroundings.  _ **_“Did you just forget about all the progress we made?!”_ ** _ He exclaimed, his grip proceeding to get tighter and tighter on my poor wrist as versions of him broke off in red and blue, seemingly screaming in agony and anger, before disappearing a moment later. “Dammit! I thought you actually liked me, Sunshine!” He called out, angering me more. I growled and muttered under my breath for him not to call me Sunshine. “Oh, I’m sorry. What was that, Sunsh-” The sound of a gun firing cut him off, the impact causing his grip to loosen and eventually disappear entirely as he fell to the ground, weirdly with tears and heartbreak in his eyes. His hand reached towards me weakly but I moved so he couldn’t touch me. _

_ I announce to him that he, the demon in who stole my body and dared to wear my love’s face, deserved it before walking away, trying to find my way home. I was unsure of how much time passed before I found myself in front of a dilapidated version of my beloved’s home. I quickly rushed into the building, blocking off the door as a pounding pain and odd feeling of anguish filled my body. _

_ I made sluggishly made my way to Damien’s once pristine office, sitting down in his old chair as I contemplated what I did, ignoring the pointless tears streaming down and staining my face. _

_ I shot him. I actually shot him. _

 

I shot Dark.


	14. Confessions

It had been a long time since I left this house, how long I couldn’t really recall. Celine had stated before it had been roughly a year, but I knew that she could only guess from the random trips she made to get food and other basic necessities. I stayed here and fixed up Damien’s home because I didn’t want to face anyone, I couldn’t.

Images of what I, no, what she did kept flashing in my mind. The feeling of the gun in my hand as it went off, the look of heartbreak and pain on Dark’s face, the way he reached out to me. It made me feel sick everytime it crossed my mind. She didn’t care, in fact, she was rather proud of what she did but I felt anguish. 

Despite how long I was here, in one spot, no one found me. It was almost as if no one was looking - I hoped that was the case.

I laid there on a bed that once belonged to a man I adore far too much, tears almost continuously running down my face as more grew whenever I thought of Dark.  **_It’s not your fault, you couldn’t control her._ ** Celine tried to comfort once again, her voice coated with pain as she watched me fall apart for the millionth time. 

I refused to sleep for a reason, I didn’t want to see Damien in agony and there was always a chance Dark would show up to confront me for what she did as I didn’t expect him to know that it wasn’t me in control. So, I avoided sleep, only taking naps when I needed to and always making sure Celine woke me up after a few hours so I didn’t start dreaming.  _ His blood is still on my hands. _ I think quietly, curling into and cuddling a pillow as I tried to calm the flow of tears.

Unfortunately, unconsciousness called for me as I laid in the comfy old bed, Celine hummed a lullaby I struggled to remember as I allowed my eyes to close. 

 

_ I was back in the void, a place that I had strangely missed, possibly because it was linked to people I cared deeply about. I gazed around, a pale orange glow around me once again, something I had not seen since one of my last times in the void. A sigh left my lips as I saw nothing around me. _ Typical.  _ My thoughts echoed out.  _

_ I waddled my way through the thick void sludge, growling lowly to myself as I did until I felt a cool feeling wrap around my body, pinning my arms to my sides. “What the hell?” I muttered to myself, looking down to see shadows blacking out the glow I emitted. “Tall, Dark and Brooding?” I called out teasingly, hoping to see the demon I had feelings for - not that I’d probably ever admit it out loud, I didn’t want to make his ego more inflated than it already was.  _

**_“How dare you come here after attacking me?!”_ ** _ Dark’s voice hissed in my ear, trying to intimidate me thought that distorted tone lost its effect on me a long time ago.  _ **_“Well?”_ ** _ He asked, demanding an answer from me as his shadows wrapped tighter around me. A sigh left my lips as I turned slowly to face him. His face showed a lot of pain as he looked down at me, his eyes reflecting nothing but agony and betrayal.  _

_ I look away for a moment, trying to think about what to say before giving up and just allowing my head to fall against his chest. “It wasn’t me.” I whimpered out, trying to hold back the tears that built up despite knowing there was no use fighting them. “I had no control of what I did and I am so sorry.” Tears began to stream down my face once again as I looked up at him to see a blank expression down at me.  _

_ Dark pushed me away and into the sludge, startling me as I tried to focus on making sure the gunk didn’t cover me. His face twisted into a horrid grin which made a chill cross over me.  _ **Sunshine, wake up! It’s just a nightmare!** _ Damien’s pained voice called out from the distance.  _ **Try and follow my voice, dear!** _ My attention was caught by a light off in the distance, a crack shining through the darkness like it had done a few times before. Dark leaned over to grab me once again but I quickly moved out of the way. _

_ I shifted so I could get back up on my feet before trying my hardest to sprint for the crack in the dark. Damien spoke some words of encouragement while Dark behind me spoke words of malice, each angered word tearing through me as I began to think about what I did to him and sob. Soon I found myself reaching out for the crack.  _

_ I landed on a hard floor, sounds of discomfort leaving me as my back hit what seemed to be a wooden surface. “That hurt…” I groan, rubbing the area along my spine as I slowly stood up. _

_ “Not as much as dying, I would say.” A familiar voice spoke out, the voice of a dear friend.  _

_ “Mark?” I call out, turning to face the man that I hadn’t seen in a long time. The man gave a quick nod before walking over and pulling me into a tight hug. “Ugh, Mark, I can’t breath!” I gasp out, trying to wiggle my way out of his bear hug, cursing myself for forgetting that the man’s strength was much like his modern namesake. Once he put me down I gasped for air before giving the actor a grin to show him I was okay. _

_ A chuckle left his lips before he messed with my hair. “Nice to see your hair back to normal, having it flatter than what I was used to was an odd experience. I almost didn’t recognise you when I saw you!” He teased but his words confused me. From what I could recall this version of me never met the actor. “Either way, it’s just fantastic for us to be together like this again.” He muttered with a soft smile on his face before grabbing my hand and spinning me gently. My gaze dropped to see the same grey suit that was in Wilford’s picture of Damien and me - the one he took from Damien’s home after we died. _

_ When I came to a stop I looked back up at him to see him gaze at me in a similar way to how Dark and Damien would, and the implications of that sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s good to see you, Marki.” I speak out, remembering my old nickname for him but cringing internally as I said it remembering that the actor didn’t particularly like being called that.  _

_ “This is messed up…” I heard him mutter under his breath but before I could question him, he explained. “Here we are, stuck in a mockery of what used to be my home. The place we died. And here I am, in your lover’s body. I helped him die, I stole his body because my plan had failed… I had inadvertently caused your death and despite all of that, my heart still has the nerve to fall for you.” He whimpered out, pulling me into another tight hug. Normally I would have pushed him away but I was frozen in my spot, left speechless from his confession of love. “And to think, I almost believed that you were someone completely new. Only you could break my walls down that quickly…” He muttered, burying his head in my neck, his body shaking with the tears that escaped him.  _

_ When I gained the nerve, I pushed him away and backed myself up against a wall ignoring the shocked look on his face. “You… You love me… after everything? After killing Damien and taking his body?! My best friend is DEAD because of you! My love is DEAD!” I yelled at him, shifting along across the wall to the nearest exit. “I want to wake up now…” I mutter to myself, burying my head in my hands as I slide down the wall. I could feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes as the stress and memories flooded over me. “I want to wake up now!” I cried out, hugging my knees close.  _

 

I awoke with a start, my chest heaving as I tried to breath fighting against a new uncomfortable pressure and weight on my chest.  _ There’s something on top of me! _ My thoughts cried as I tried to shift the thing off. The sound of what seemed to be deep snoring informed me that whatever it was, it was fast asleep even with me trying to move it. I groan slightly and try to push the thing off of me again, this time being successful as a mass of black fur moves off of my chest and lays down next to me. _ A dog? What’s a dog doing here? _ I thought at my hand thoughtlessly reached over and began petting the furry canine. 

My thoughts trailed back to the scene I had previously found myself in but I only remembered that Celine could read my thoughts when I felt the room heat up uncomfortably. “Ugh… no, Cel. Stop. Cool down, please.” I groaned as I glared at the angered spirit trying to pace around. “I’m probably not leaving here for a while anyway so I doubt he can find me.” I muttered as I got a better look at the dog laying next to me. It appeared to be a pitch black retriever. “What are you doing here, little fella?” I coo softly as the dog stares back at me, it’s tail wagging slightly in response to my call. 

I laid there for a while longer patting the dog as I tried to ignore the countless thoughts that tried to creep up on me. Celine continued to do her form of pacing, just grumbling under her breath as she did. A whimper from the dog is what caused me to move, shooting up into a sat up position. “What’s wrong?” I ask softly as if the hound can understand me, surprisingly the dog rolled on to it’s back which revealed his gender and to show he had a large gashes on his abdomen and chest, blood leaked out as stitches that were holding the wounds closed were torn. A shocked gasp left my lips as I rushed to the other side of the bed and picked the poor thing up. 

Carefully I made my over to the bathroom that I remembered being nearby while Celine went off to collect some supplies. Under my breath, I kept apologising, feeling as if the torn stitches were my fault, he was perfectly fine when lying on top of me after all.

I was quick to suture him back up and cover his wounds as soon as Celine found some first aid supplies, luckily the canine did nothing but curiously paw at the glowing pale red orb. It was very calming just having him around, I almost forgot what it was like having a pet around. 

A small smile curled across my lips as I scratched gently behind the adorable creature’s ear after I finished securing the bandages that now covered most of him. It looked as if he had been attacked by a knife.  _ I wonder how he got in. _ I pondered as I was more than sure that doors and windows alike were shut and locked, just as they had been every night since I woke up here. 

I let the dog rest on the bed I typically laid in and made my way to Damien’s office. I had spent my spare time restoring the place room by room and left his office for last, knowing that any pictures I may find could and would distract me. His office wasn’t as run down as it had been when I first woke up in it, Celine stated that she had taken to cleaning it up slightly for no other reason than she was used to cleaning up after Dames. 

Slowly I sat down in the old chair that had almost miraculously barely been affected by the passing of time, not having to face the elements as the house kept its integrity, keeping nature at bay. I was glad that it had held up better than the damned manor, it meant that something physical of Damien was preserved - even if it was just his home. Out on his desk were stacks of paperwork, faded with age and practically falling apart for some reason, next to a book, the cover had also faded with time but the debossed lettering still remained eligible and indicated the purpose of the book - it was a photo album. 

My hands gently picked the book up, not wanting to accidentally ruin it in any way and also not wanting to disturb the nearly century-old paperwork nearby. The first pages alone were filled with photos of friends and people that Damien had met along his road to becoming mayor, his smile always remaining the same and genuine no matter who he took a picture with. That is until I reached a picture of him and I. There seemed to be a whole section of our photos alone. One of us sleeping in the library, surrounded by books - Mark most likely took that one - and another of us just smiling happily on the day before we both left to lead separate lives.  

His smile in that picture was filled with sadness, but it was obvious that he tried his hardest to hide it. It was in heavy contrast with the picture next to it, it was just a picture taken at a random time but the warmth in his eyes and his posture told me all I needed to know - I was looking at a man heavily in love. A warm smile crossed my face as a finger lightly stroked at the mayor’s pictured face, wishing I had a better way of talking to the man than a method I now dreaded to use. 

A slip of paper fell out of the book once I turned the page on to a new marked section. The paper seemed new as if it had just come from a packet, the ink dried on top wasn’t faded in the slightest and still had a smell to it. These were all things that alerted me to the fact that this had recently been written and place in the book, and that fact sent a chill down my spine as it meant that someone had broken in. 

I shook myself out of the panic that loomed over me and gazed down at the written message. 

 

Darling,

 

Loving someone with all your soul certainly causes problems for those who take a part of it. That’s something I’ve come to realise during our small moments together, moments that I have adored despite my reactions. 

I’m not actually too sure if you’ll ever see this, knowing that if you don’t want to be found that you won’t be and the others have given up searching for you months ago. I just needed to write something out, I’ve never been too brilliant at keeping to myself even now.

I don’t think I could ever say this to your face, my proud nature and all. But, I love you. Truly. I’ve been in love with you for so long and it hurts to know that I can’t just see you whenever I’d like. I’m sure I’ve written that somewhere about you before but I digress. 

You are the Sunshine and once upon a time, you called me a Storm. I would like to think that makes our relationship a rainbow - one I certainly can’t wait to see.

 

Until your return,   
D. 

 

My breath caught in my throat as I tried to deduce who wrote the letter, my mind instantly flashes to Damien despite the clear clues that it was someone else. The handwriting was similar to the small note that was on the bouquet, leading me to believe that the sender was the same person and that person wasn’t my beloved mayor. ‘Loving someone with all your soul certainly causes problems for those who take a part of it’. That line is what caught my attention the most. It was what he opened it with, making more than clear who it was who took their time to write their thoughts out.

A sigh left my lips as I held the letter close, my mind arguing over the fact the letter seemed relatively new, indicating it was written recently and the chance that the man could never love me after what I did. A groan left me as my thoughts continued to argue and bicker, I could practically see a shoulder angel and devil having a scuffle on the desk in front of me. 

Wilford would have gotten a laugh out of seeing me like this, he had seen me like that before when Google and Bing had landed in yet another argument and I had to state who was correct. It was Bing but I struggled with whether I should inform the older android or not. Will, being the gem that he was, sat beside me and joked about what I could do even to the point he brought hand puppets to my dismay. The only reason he stopped was that Dark hit him around the head and resolved the situation for me. I never did get the chance to thank him for that. 

My thoughts were broken by the sound of paws padding towards me causing my gaze to drop to the canine that made his way over. “Hey boy, how are ya?” I chirp out, happy to see that his tail was wagging as he drew closer. It seemed as if he didn’t care that a good portion of his body was covered in cuts and bandages and that he was happy just to see me. The ever amazing optimism of dogs was something I’d never truly understand but it was uplifting all the same. 

“You need a name if you’re gonna stay here, bud,” I mutter more to myself than to the canine as I recalled that he didn’t have a collar so was possibly a stray. I hummed in thought as I looked down at the animal for any clues on what to call him based on his appearance but at a simple glance all you could see was black, even his eyes were black. “I could name you after a love of mine but I might get rude looks if I ever decide to walk you so... I guess I’ll call you Midnight.” I state, patting the walking shadow on the head. Midnight gave a small bark of approval before sitting by my feet as if he was waiting for me to do something. 

 

_ Looks like I have a brand new friend.  _


	15. Dark Versus Darkness

The night sky was one of the best views that Damien’s house could give, didn’t help that the master bedroom lead off to a decent sized balcony and that’s where I stood, gazing at the stars above. Celine floated off in the distance, probably enjoying the breeze and Midnight was by my side, he was fast to listen to commands which is surprising for a stray. 

I sit down next to the pooch and lean back, getting a better look at the view. Midnight had been here for about a month, and I couldn’t help but adore him. He was always happy to see me and despite Celine keeping her distance from him they really didn’t seem to mind each other which saved me a headache, to say the least. My life felt like it was somewhat normal once again and since I saw Dark’s letter I have actually left Damien’s house though it’s mostly for shopping and to walk Midnight. 

Walking Midnight was one of the highlights of the day which was ironic considering I had a habit of walking him at night time. The nearby forest was calm and practically heavenly as the moonlight illuminated the river and wildlife in the opening that I had found. It was the one spot that didn’t remind me of anything, unlike this home. I was still struggling with the memories the DA gave me but she did have some very fond memories of a Christmas party here, one of them explaining the origins of the damned watch.  **_Perhaps we should explore the forest more._ ** Celine would always encourage, wanting me to get out of the house as much as possible. She claimed it was because she feared that I would retrogress with all the memories about the house only for me to remind her that I could retrogress without a trigger which is what made me dangerous. 

Now I know I wasn’t a dangerous person, as the District Attorney or as Wilford’s assistant but there was something about losing my new memories, something about devolving into the same angered woman that was trapped in a mirror, that was. Though I’m sure my overthinking of the retrogression was just me making up excuses so I didn’t have to go back and face Dark’s outbursts to me betraying him. He did it enough when I landed in the Void. Though my dreams were half of angry Dark and half of Dark begging, pleading for me to return home but I think that’s just me being hopeful and reflecting too much on his letter.  _ I miss them. I miss him. _ My thoughts called out to the Seer as my hand pet the canine who now had his head firmly in my lap. 

**_I know you do, dear Aurora._ ** Celine sighed out, she had said those words plenty of times before. A yawn broke through the peaceful atmosphere and Celine shooed me to bed, just as she had done a plethora of times before. I nod and make my way to the large white bed that I wished Damien was waiting on but that wasn’t going to happen and my dreams held another man, whether I wanted them to or not. 

 

_ The sky was dark with bright white specks bleeding out from behind the clouds. The nighttime scene was new, so it probably meant I wasn’t going to get shouted at which was good. An angry Dark was a very punchable Dark and I didn’t need to hurt him again, a gunshot wound was enough.  _ Where even am I?  _ My thoughts asked out as I gazed around cautiously. “Somewhere safe, I assure you.” His voice called out from behind me, making my blood chill and my body freeze as if the man who he held a part of was hugging me in his soul-like state. _ Dark.  _ My thoughts stated, immediately recognising the voice. I turned to look at the demon behind me to see him staring at me rather blankly apart from the fact his lips were curling into a small soft smile that was hardly noticeable if you weren’t paying attention.  _

_ “Not gonna shout at me again, are ya?” I say slowly, no longer used to speaking in my dreams for obvious reasons. Dark’s face contorted with confusion before he shook his head, his typical face covering floof going a bit wild with the motions before calming down on his face once again and that’s when I noticed the state of the demon. Now, it’s harder to judge how sick or tired someone looks when they’re monochromatic but he looked absolutely exhausted and dishevelled. His hair had grown out along with his facial hair, making him appear more scruffy and the fact he wasn’t wearing his typical blazer and tie but rather just had his shirt, a few buttons undone with the sleeves rolled up. He didn’t look like his usual pristine, business-ready self. To put it simply, he looked like shit but he looked happier almost. “What happened to you, Tall, Dark and Brooding?” I tease but my tone made it obvious that I was concerned for the man.  _

_ Dark cleared his throat before rolling his neck along his shoulders, cracking his neck. I hadn’t noticed it before, recalling too much on why he did it, but the action was strangely enticing. Either that or my feelings for the man were influencing how I perceived his actions. “I needed to see you… I… I can’t stand the distance. It’s pulling me apart inside but that might just be Damien being an arse.” He chuckled to himself, his voice cracking slightly but still held strong. “Or I’m making excuses for how I feel...” The demon sighs out as he steps closer to me, pulling me into a tight embrace. “I…” He cut himself off, clearing his throat once again before repeating the vowel, not being able to get the words out of this mouth. _

_ “I missed you too, Stormy,” I mutter the old nickname before burying my head in the section between his neck and shoulder, only just noticing the man shiver as I did so. “Heh… haven’t called you that in forever…” I say before I hear him mutter about something to do with a century. A soft giggle leaves my throat as I enjoy the hug, my arms wrapped tightly around his torso, and not caring at the fact the man had no body heat as I was expecting it.  _

_ The area growing darker, to a pitch black caused my whole body to tense, the man in my arms sharing the reaction as he stood up straight and gazed around, muttering to himself. “Something doesn’t feel right about this…” He trails off as his eyes land on a pristine version of himself, his copy’s face was twisted in a cold and angry smirk. It was the Dark that had a habit of shouting at me one minute and pleading with me the next. “What…?” His voice echoed gently into the Void around us, pulling me closer once his angered copy began pacing over.  _

**_“Replaced me, I see.”_ ** _ The copy hissed out, seemingly annoyed with the other Dark’s presence, his anger not solely directed at me this time as his glare shifted from me to the demon holding me. _ **_“Not that it matters, eh, Darling?”_ ** _ The copy mocked as he got his shadows to pull me away from the nicer Dark. I squirmed in the shadows and its grip, hating the weird feeling that it brought and not enjoying the thoughts that came to mind as the shadows encircled my body more, tightening ever so slightly.  _ **_“Because at the end of the day… You. Are. Mine!”_ ** _ The angered man’s shell broke, his voice distorting and reverberating entirely. The high pitched sound he brought with him practically deafened me as I watched the dishevelled Dark begin to argue with his mirror image, the fact I couldn’t hear his words brought a small sense of deja vu.  _

_ Soon I was pulled forward into the pristine Dark’s chest as his arms wrapped tightly around me, painfully tightly as well. I groaned lightly as I tried looking to the other Dark for help, only to find him pinned down by shadows. The dishevelled Dark’s shell broke, blue and red versions of him flickering out as his own shadows began to collect and surround him. My hearing cleared up just enough to hear him tell his copy to leave me alone before his own ear piercing ringing joined his copy’s and aided in deafening me. The sound began to make me dizzy and feel sick as I bent over and tried to keep my small dinner down, I struggled to breathe and soon the discomfort brought tears to my eyes as the demon and his copy, whichever way around it was, fought. I hoped the dishevelled one would win, and quickly as I felt my body begin to collapse to the ground as my tears continued to stain my face. “Darky…” I muttered weakly as my vision became as dark as the Void itself. _

 

I awoke to the sound of whining and something wet rapid swiping across my cheek. “Midy, no…” I groan out, my voice slightly husky from just waking up. Another groan left me as I pulled myself up, my arms stretching and joints popping slightly as I moved. I rubbed my face lightly only to notice that Midnight wasn’t the only thing that made my cheeks wet. “I hope Stormy won…” I mutter as I give the good pup a small pat on the head before pulling myself off of the bed, groaning as the muscles in my leg rejoiced at the movement. “Time for breakfast, bud!” I call out, watching the pup become excited and rush out towards the kitchen causing a happy chuckle to leave my lips. 

After breakfast, I was alone with my thoughts in Damien’s old office. Midnight had fallen asleep on my bed and Celine was out tending to the garden which was overly large in my opinion but it gave the woman something to do unlike when I was back at the flat. My thoughts soon fell on the fight between the two Darks and I flinched slightly.  _ I need to check on him. _ My thoughts cried out as they shifted to the dishevelled Dark, I hoped he was actually Dark and the pristine one was just my nightmares being cruel to me but I couldn’t know for sure. It was just as likely that the pristine one was the real Dark getting his revenge on me while the dishevelled one was Damien’s or Celine’s attempt at making me feel better.  _ There’s only one way to fight out, I suppose. _ My arms curled up in front of me as I lowered my head towards the desk, taking a sleeping position I thought I left behind in school. 

 

_ Annoyingly, I was back in the Void. I huffed to myself quietly as I began to look for the demon, either demon. “Dark?!” I called out, my voice echoing around the darkness that seemed to be far more silent than I could ever recall. There was always some form of background noise but now there was nothing. Next thing I knew I was falling and falling and falling before my back hit the ground, knocking the wind right out of me. I groan, trying to pull some air back in and rolling onto my front, my arms keeping my chest from touching the cold ground.  _

_ I looked around to see an office space that I didn’t remember seeing before, but it was mostly a charcoal grey with a scattering of light greys or silver objects that were more noticeable against the darker background. The window at the back of the room, behind the desk, was huge and spanned the entirety of the back wall. The desk seemed to be made of wood but it was stained and polished to be black either that or it was made of ebony. I slowly rose to my feet and shuffled over to the black desk to see it arranged neatly, a pile of paperwork to the side held down by a clear glass paperweight and the other side held a computer and stationary. I stood there for a small moment before sitting down on the large black leather swivel chair.  _ Holy hell is this comfy.  _ My thoughts cheered as I leaned my sore back against the soft backboard of the chair before spinning the chair to point towards the window where I noticed something that had been blocked by the view of the chair when I initially viewed the room from my position on the floor. It seemed to be another desk, a bit smaller but the same ebony shine, and it held a box that seemed to be so black that my eyes didn’t want to register the colour or lack thereof.  _

_ A gulp bobbed my throat as I moved the chair over slightly, rather thankful that it was a swivel chair with wheels as it glided against the small portion of the room that did have a carpet whereas the rest was tile. My hands reached over to the box and plucked the lid off quickly and placing it to the side. Inside the uncomfortably black box was an object all too familiar to me, I felt my eyes began to tear up as I picked the cane up and held it in my hands like he used to. My fingers rubbed against the base of the cane slowly, taking in and remembering the texture. It identified whose office I was in, and it sent some cold to crawl up my spine. “Dark?” I called out softly, hoping that he was somehow in the room.  _

_ Shadows crawled and collected in one of the darker corners of the room, and I watched as it grew in size until it was coating most of the two walls it was collecting in before he stepped out, the shadows immediately shrinking and fading away into him. There he was, the same dishevelled demon who I gave Damien’s old nickname to only he was a bit more beaten and bruised. “Stormy!” My voice cried out happily without much thought, my body running over to him and my arms wrapping tightly around the man which only lead to me easing up on him once I heard him hiss slightly in pain. “Sorry!” I yelped and checked the man over, hoping his clone didn’t do too much damage. _

_ “I’m fine, Sunshine. Just a little pain.” The man grunted in response and limped his way over to his chair. He seemed not to notice the cane in my hands as he didn’t mention it. “Come here…” His voice came out in a whisper as his arms opened wide which were soon filled with my presence. A small, pained chuckle left him as he buried his face in my hair. “I hate fighting myself.” Dark joked, his voice hoarse and quiet as he spoke. He took a moment before explaining that after a fight with Anti which left both of them badly hurt, he had fled to the Void to recover. Dark mentioned that he probably left a part of him behind and that small part of him latched on to whatever it could, it latched onto my fear of Dark hating me and my hatred for my old self’s actions. “Hey, I’d shoot me too if I went through what you did.” He broke his explanation to joke before continuing to explain that because a part of him latched onto me it gave him a chance to find me, the only problem was: “I’m very possessive over you - every part of me is - so when I saw you with someone else - even if it was myself - I got pissed. I know it was a tainted trait that came from Damien but it seemed to infect me, not that I mind it typically.” _

_ I sat there for a moment in Dark’s lap just trying to soak in what he told me. “You’re possessive over me?” I asked to which I received a short nod in response. “But you found me in my dreams, not in real life… Does that mean you don’t know where I am?” He seemed to be taken back that I asked that before humming in thought.  _

_ “I wouldn’t say I don’t know where you are, I have a good idea but I haven’t gone there yet to speak to you because… I wanted to see if it was really you that shot me, that’s why I met up with you in a dream. That teasing little name you gave me was a good indicator that it was my darling that I was speaking to, not the spiteful woman that became of who she used to be.” Dark explained, pulling me closer as he talked. His face quickly found its way back to my hair as it was comforting to him. “I’m surprised you found your way here but then again, you’re probably asleep right now, aren’t you?” I hummed a tune to let him know he was right before allowing one of my hands to leave the cane and entangle itself in his hair which was surprisingly soft. “If people walk in, they’re going to think we’re an item, my dear.” He cooed out softly, his colours flickering gently before becoming mostly blue.    _

_ I felt my eyes begin to grow heavy as I sat there in his arms, there was just something so comforting, and slightly terrifying, about being near him. “Stormy… Darky…” I muttered out tiredly before allowing my eyes to fall shut. My head tucked nicely into his neck. _

_ Before I drifted off to sleep completely I swore heard overlapped voices mutter: “Goodnight Sunshine. I love you.”  _


	16. This is Halloween

A groan filled the air shortly followed by the sound of struggling as I woke up and promptly got tangled in the covers of Damien’s bed, a place I didn’t remember falling asleep at previously. With a huff, I threw the covers off of my face to see Midnight laying beside me happily, tail wagging like mad as he started to greet me with kisses on the face. I mutter a familiar groan before climbing off of the bed and going through my morning routine. Wash, get dressed, eat, brush teeth and then do whatever I want. Midnight went through a similar routine: jump in the bath with me, dries himself, eats, goes outside for a bit before doing whatever he wanted.

I gathered up Midnight’s collar and leash, securing them on the dog before leaving the large house, Celine quietly following behind. Our little group quickly made its way into town and into several shops which were surprisingly very dog-friendly. I didn’t question it because it meant I didn’t need to find a new shop or leave Midy outside while I looked around, not that he didn’t behave. Celine was always quick to give advice while we shopped but it was usually about clothes because I had a funny feeling she didn’t know how to cook. I only really got my practice in cooking and baking because Wilford pestered me about it not that I could complain as it just helped me.

As I was shopping my thoughts kept drifting back to Dark, how dishevelled and hurt he was, my heart ached every time I remembered the sight. “Stormy…” I muttered to myself only to receive a bark from Midnight. I look down at him and raise an eyebrow to see him looking up at me with his head tilted in confusion. “What? It’s just a name.” I mutter to him quietly, not wanting to draw attention from the other customers that I was talking to a dog as if it was human. Midnight barked once more before tilting his head again. I tilt my head in confusion at him before shrugging it off and continuing to walk through the grocery store, taking small moments to remind myself of what we needed and collected it to put in the trolley.

I walked around the store for a little bit, slowly building up what was in the trolley with what was needed before I felt a trolley collide with both mine and me. A yelp escaped Midy as he jumped and backed away from the area, hearing his yelp made my blood boil as I turned to face the idiot who crashed into me only to freeze as I looked at them. “JJ?” The dapper man was shocked to see me before a grin broke out on his face and he pushed the trollies aside to hug me tightly. “What are you doing here?” I asked softly, pulling our carts to the side so other shoppers wouldn’t cause a problem. The dapper man’s face dropped before he began to sign. ‘Initially, it was to find you, Anti said you used to live in this area but I grew attached to this place and didn’t want to leave. Apparently, I look like someone who also lived here! Fancy that!’ Jameson’s smile grew once again as he explained, his body bouncing slightly with excitement. ‘Apparently, I also have the same name as them. Though this Jameson was a lawyer, not an entertainer like me.’

I finished my grocery shopping with both Midy and Jameson by my side which was peaceful. The thought of the Jameson I once knew crossed my mind before I shook it off, I didn’t really want to think about Anti when I was still hiding from most of the egos. Turns out Jameson had a habit of walking into things as I spent most of the journey back to Damien’s pulling the mute Irishman out of the way of practically everything. “Hey, JJ? Why do you think you’re so much like the lawyer?” I asked as I began to unpack and put items away in the pantry, only stopping when he tapped my shoulder and gained my attention. ‘I don’t really know, in all fairness. But, I do remember that Anti was the one to remind me what my name was, at least I think I remember that. My memory is rather shoddy.’ He admitted, allowing me to conclude that Anti had just given the monocle-wearing man his original name when the dapper gentleman couldn’t remember his own. ‘In complete honesty? I quite like the name so even if it wasn’t my name previously, I still want to keep it.’

When the sky began to darken and the lights illuminated the area in a yellow glow, the dapper Septic ego and I found ourselves staring down at a bunch of pumpkins the pair of us had bought. Halloween was just around the corner and it didn’t bring partially good memories to either of us, with him being attacked by Anti and it being another reminder of the poker night that would take the lives of my best friends and my own life. A chill ran down my spine before warmth blanketed my shoulders. **_I like this ego, he’s rather normal._** Celine muttered her approval to me as we watched the moustached man being to carve away at a smaller now gutted pumpkin, happily taking his time as he cut more and more chunks away. I hummed to let her know that I heard her before I began to gut one of the larger pumpkins.

Soon the pumpkins were carved and then we had to find something to do with all the flesh, a relieved sigh was quick to leave me once my carving partner revealed that he liked pumpkin pie. Midnight was quick to tuck into the pumpkin food blend I made for him, and JJ was quick to tuck into the pie. I yawn wracked through me and I bid the two a goodnight before quickly letting the man know where the guest bedrooms were as I wasn’t going to let him walk home while it was dark out. Midnight followed me to bed, seemingly not caring that he still had food in his bowl.

 

_I was back in Dark’s office, the man humming a sad tune to himself as he sat in his chair facing the large wall window. “S'il te plait n’emmène pas mon rayon de Soleil…” The demon sang slowly, his voice seeming to crack as he reached the end of the line. The tune was familiar but I was too focused on how sad he sounded to work out what the song was. I walked cautiously over to the man to see his dishevelled form which compelled me to pull him into a tight hug. “Ah! Sunshine!” Dark exclaimed in surprise before returning my embrace, his tone happy as the smile that curled at his lips._

_“Is everything okay, Stormy? You seemed rather upset…” I muttered softly as my hands wandered up to his hand began to play with random locks. A chuckle left his lips as I said his nickname before he sighed and looked off to the side. The monochromatic demon slowly reached over to the small table in front of him and plucked the cane from its place in the opened box before fiddling it with his hands despite me being snug in his arms._

_He hummed in thought for a moment before responding. “Would you be happy with me…?” Another sigh escaped his lips as he placed the cane back down. “I mean, I did lock you away in the mirror and some part of you wants me dead for that…” Dark muttered, his hands now moving to play with my hair. “Though a good amount must like me, right? Must be happy by my side? Considering you’re here… If I’m not hallucinating… Again.” Suddenly his face was buried in the crook of my neck and his arms that were wrapped tightly around my torso, crushing me towards his chest. A small whine left my lips as I felt the wind being knocked out of me due to the force of the hug, which meant I could barely squeak out words of protest._

_The sound of a door swinging and hitting the wall echoed around and filled the room and dragged my attention over to the jaw dropped pastel dressed man that stood in the doorway. “Go away, Will.” Dark huffed out, his lips brushing out against my neck as he spoke making a chill go down my spine. I watched as Wilford’s mouth opened and close multiple times as he was lost for words, a miracle by any standards. I gave the moustached man a small wave before turning my attention back to the clingy demon that pinned me to his chest, a blush began to coat my cheeks as I realised the position that I was in as I sat on the man’s lap. If my body wasn’t reacting strongly to him when I worked with Wilford, it certainly was now._

_“What the bloody hell?!” Wilford’s slurred accent broke the awkward silence and caused Dark to move his head away from my neck and glare at the man. My scrunched closed and I returned Dark’s affection by burying my head in his shoulder as I waited to the inevitable shouting that would come from the reporter. But none came as I felt more arms wrap around me and warmth cover my back, contrasting the cool that radiated off of the demon in front of me. Tears welled up in my eyes and began to stain my face as I felt my shoulder slowly grow wet from what I could only assume what were Wilford’s tears. “I missed you Gumdrop…” The moustached man mumbled out, sniffling slightly before his grip became almost as tight as Dark’s._

_A small giggle left my lips as I felt Wilford’s pink moustache brush against and tickle my neck as he nuzzled against it, the interaction causing Dark to growl slightly from what I could assume was jealousy which caused another giggle to bubble up. A few moments went by before Wil began to complain about his legs hurting and soon we all shifted to sit on the floor to hug each other just enjoying each others company._

 

I woke up as the bedroom door slammed open, causing me to spring up and look over to see Anti huffing and puffing angrily. _Oops…_ I grimaced but was quickly distracted by Midnight whimpering in his sleep, my hand began to pat his side gently which began to calm him down. A sigh left my lips as I looked back up at the angered imp. “What do you want, James?” I called out tiredly, making the green-tinted man flinch at the use of his real name but I couldn’t really care as exhaustion loomed over me, I gazed over at the old clock on the nightstand by the bed to see it wasn’t even 3 AM and the sight of the time caused me to groan tiredly as I began to glare at the Irishman the awoke me. “Possessing JJ isn’t nice, this is how many times on Halloween now? Just don’t rip his moustache off.” I mutter, annoyance laced in my tone and I laid back down. I felt like a mother scolding a child but it was amazing how little I could care when tired.

The sound of shifting and the bed dipping behind me let me know that Anti had decided to not start a fight, something I was glad about as I pulled the sleeping dog closer which calmed him more. Ages went by and soon 6 AM rolled around and I glare at the clock as its repetitive ticking mocked me and my exhaustion. Soon I felt my eyes grow heavy and I felt relieved, and let myself drift off.

 

_I looked around me to see the rose-filled meadow that Damien had once taken me to and a smile was instantly thrown onto my face as I remembered our date. “There you are, Sunshine. You disappeared on us, it gave Wilford quite the shock.” Dark’s voice spoke out before he appeared from a plume of smoke in front of me. I quickly apologise before I find my way back into his arms where a chuckle escaped his lips. I looked up and froze for a moment as I swore I saw his eyes be a bright blue for a moment before they went back to the usual black. “Oh well, he’ll get over it. I’m sure.”_

_The area around us began to warp into what seemed to be a ballroom where there seemed to be at least a handful of candles at every turn. Once I look back at the demon I saw him back to his usual pristine self apart from the scruff and longer hair, a genuine smile curling at his lips which made my heart skip a beat._ Someone tell this man to stop being so attractive, it’s dangerous to my health. _I joked to myself as I made my way over to the man that held his hand out to me. I accepted his hand and was soon pulled into his chest as our feet began to move to follow the tune that the monochromatic man hummed. “What’s all this about?” I ask softly, my head against his chest as we danced our way around the large room._

_“It’s our anniversary, I figured I’d give you some good memories of it. Happy Halloween, Sunshine.” Dark explained before kissing the top of my head which made a giggle escape my lips. I wasn’t sure why I was acting so bubbly and loved up with this man considering everything but I did love him, a love which snuck up on me while I was busy dealing with my love for Damien and the odd behaviours of the new Mark, two people I wanted to see as I hadn’t seen them since my disappearance. “I hope we can have more times like this. Oh, Wilford wanted me to let you know that he’s going to track you down because he wants a real hug.” He rolled his eyes as he relayed Will’s message but the smile on his face showed that he was amused rather than irritated._

_We danced for ages, ages and ages, our feet never aching or we just didn’t acknowledge it as we got lost in each other’s eyes. You’d think it would be difficult to be lost in jet black eyes that held little to no shine to them but it was easy for me, I could only assume that it was a similar experience for him as we gazed at each other. Soon the area around us warped again to what seemed to be a rather luxurious bedroom, the monochromatic colour scheme, much like the office, indicated the owner. I turned my gaze over to Dark and threw him a questioning look only to receive a small smirk and Dark reiterating that he wanted to make some good memories of this day._

_Good memories were indeed made._

 

It was nearly noon once I woke up again, Midnight nearly falling off of the bed as he slept and JJ sitting off to the side throwing and catching a tennis ball from a set he initially bought for Midy. I throw the mute man a tired greeting before pulling myself off of the bed and collecting some clothes to change in to, my gaze fell over to the moustached man to see him signing an apology for letting Anti take over. “It’s fine, I suppose it’s time for me to let people know where I am.” I threw him a smile before making my way to the bathroom so I could continue my morning routine. Once I was finished in the bathroom I walked in to see Wilford staring at my dog with a bemused look on his face, almost as if he wasn’t expecting to see an animal in his best friend’s old home. “You okay there, Wil?” I ask, snapping the man out of his confused gaze. Almost a moment later I was on the floor with the pastel man on top of me. Laughter sounded out from both of us we embraced each other, the sound of the laughter must have awoken the sleeping dog as Midnight soon padded his way over and laid down next to us.

We held each other for a few moments before we agreed to get the large home ready for Halloween, filling the halls with tacky skeleton decorations and ghost-themed lights while bowls filled with candy were dotted around the tables throughout the house. I donned a vampire outfit, a pair of fake fangs hung on my teeth making it difficult to talk. Wilford and JJ wore exaggerated versions of their outfits and used their abilities to appear different, Wilford let all of his hair go as pink as his moustache while his eyes were a mess of yellow and pink spirals that I couldn’t look at without getting dizzy while JJ changed all of him so he appeared just he was in his first video for Jack.

Wilford confirmed that he got all Iplier egos but Dark to agree to come along, something about him being more tired than usual so he wanted to sit it out and JJ said that the Septic egos were all for the party. “I’m sure Dark will come visit as soon as he gets the energy!” Wil chirped out as he adjusted his bowtie and straightened his infamous red and white jacket before he began to whistle along to the tune of ‘This is Halloween’ and danced his way around the main hall while the other dapper man was finishing putting the decorations into place. I made sure that I looked presentable as the now dried fake blood was smeared slightly against the pale makeup that was placed on my face, making the illusion of the costume feel more complete.

Soon the egos were showing up and the party had started. _Let’s do this!_ My thoughts chirped out in a typical tone that usually came from Wilford as I thought about seeing all the egos again and the fun the party would bring.

 


	17. Awake and Alive

The old manor was bustling with life as the Halloween party roared on, various Halloween themed songs played out and the house was filled with smiles and laughter. It was quite the sight to see. All the egos seemed thrilled to see me again and we all jumped into conversation with ease, it was almost as if I never left. There was one thing that made it evident that I was, in fact, gone for ages. “Anti, get off of me!” Anti was practically glued to my side and he held tightly onto my arm. I growled in frustration as he shook his head in reply, this had been a thing since he arrived about 10 minutes into the party, claiming he was just being fashionably late instead of his usual laziness. “You too, Wilford!”

Wilford had given up trying to get him off a few hours ago and instead resorted to clinging to my other arm. I would have found it cute if I wasn’t staring head-on at Dark’s mocking gaze and smirk as he stood in front of me, dressed like the devil himself. Turns out, it wasn’t that much different from how he normally dressed aside from the fake horns and the fact his hair was more slicked back to the side, reminiscent of a certain angel of a mayor, rather than covering one of his eyes in the emo-like style it’s always in. “Having fun there, darling?” He cooed out teasingly as he made his way over, a small yawn escaping him as he moved making it evident that he was still tired from our activities. The demon cracked his neck in the usual intriguing way before pecking my cheek and using his shadow abilities to free me from the clutches of my clingy captors. 

“Thanks, Darky.” I chirped out, keeping his old nickname just between the two of us, before having my attention pulled over to Chase trying to chug some of the stronger alcohol that Wil had poofed in about ten minutes ago, a chuckle escaping me as I watched but I hoped that Henrik stopped him before the man got alcohol poisoning. Beside me I could hear Wilford teasing Dark, something about Dark finally losing something, I didn’t pay much attention as it wasn’t any of my business but my attention was soon pulled back over to the duo as the monochromatic man pulled me into a tight hug and proceeded to bury his head in the crook of my neck. Whatever Wilford said clearly embarrassed him. “What’s going on?” I ask a tad breathlessly as I struggled against my new captor’s grip, trying to get comfortable in his tight embrace. 

The pastel clothed reporter shrugged with a teasing smirk on his face, claiming he didn’t know anything before he proceeded to congratulate Dark on something which confused me greatly. The man took a moment to pull out his phone and snap a picture, blinding me slightly as the flash went off. “Oh, look. A new wallpaper.” Wilford chuckled out before yelping as Dark tried to snatch the pink smartphone off of his friend. “It’s mine!” He whined out as the demon began to chase him around the old manor, in turn releasing me from his grasp. The shouting between the two was loud even against the booming music that was controlled by a certain orange android. 

I shook my head at the pair before walking over to the Jims who had been trying their hardest to film all of the chaos. “Hey, Jims!” I greeted, sitting between the two as they both focused on their own cameras. It was nice to see them focused on preserving the memory of this party but I really wished they focused on having fun themselves. Nevertheless, I was happy to see them again and they made their happiness towards seeing me well known as I was crushed into yet another embrace. _ What is with me and getting caught in tight embraces today?! _

“Hello, Phoenix Jim!” They greeted back, confusing me. When I asked about the name they responded that it was because I had come back from the dead better and brighter than before, like a phoenix. Turns out that they remembered the events of what happened all those years ago pretty well and even watched over their old report from time to time to jog their memory of the smaller details. They kept their knowledge of the events far away from Dark or Wilford in fear of their reaction. I let the twins know that I wasn’t going to tell on them before encouraging them to join the fun before making my way over to the one man keeping his distance away from everyone - the Host.

“The Host notices the previously missing woman make her way over as she struggles to avoid colliding with the various dancing egos, eventually she makes her way softly over.” The Host started, a small smile on his lips as he pulls me into a hug. “The Host feels overjoyed at being reunited with his acquaintance that he desires to know better but he did wish that the circumstances of their reunion were less chaotic.” He informed me, pulling me into the corner of the room which he had claimed the entire night. I apologise to him before moving on to idle chit-chat, taking my time getting to know the blind man. Dark wasn’t the only one who was tired. 

The radio host and I took our time swapping stories and mishaps that had happened to us throughout the years, my tales jumping between my life in this century and the one that I had lost decades ago while my conversation partner preferred to tell more fictional stories when it was his turn, not being the kind of person to talk about himself despite his way of speaking. 

“The Host would like to inform his new friend that her new ‘partner’ is looking for her, having failed to steal the phone off of Wilford and instead only encouraging the man to send the photo to all of the egos.” I thanked the Host for the information before going to find Dark, wherever he could of be in Damien’s house. I found myself walking away from the hall where the party was situated, my feet leading me to Damien’s study where Dark was sitting at the mayor’s desk and flipping through the photo album. 

A small smile was curled on the demon’s face as he looked through the yellowed pages, his fingers grazing over a few of the pages as he did. “Perhaps we should add the picture Will took into this album, it would make a nice addition.” His deep voice sounded out, making me jump slightly as I wasn’t aware that he knew I was in the room with him. “What do you say, Sunshine?” Dark looked up and smiled at me, the gentle and happy look on his face brought a blush out on mine. The demon in front of me chuckled slightly at my flushed face as he made his way over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he brought me close, my face landing gently against his chest. I gazed up to see the man smiling down at me, my head tilting only slightly as the bright blue flashed across his eyes before fading to jet black once again. I lifted my hand to brush through his slicked back floof, despite it being held back it was still soft to the touch. 

“Enjoying the party?” I ask softly as I continue to run my fingers through and play with his hair, minding the fake horns as I did. Dark hummed lowly and nodded slightly, his hands running up and down my sides gently, his fingers gently grazing over the fabric of my costume. A shiver rolled down my spine, making me lean into the man for a warmth that he didn’t have. The atmosphere in the room screamed sexual tension and it was pretty clear that both of us felt it as our small touches and gazes continued. “We should probably head back before they think we’re getting up to something.” I hummed, nuzzling my face into Dark’s chest as he chuckled. 

It was a few more moments before Dark decided to lead us back down to the party where Wilford seemed to be playing Russian Roulette with several of the other egos making flashbacks to him playing the stupid game at the poker night.  The sound of the barrel made my blood freeze and caused a growl to slip from Dark’s lips. A weird buzzing filled my mind as I tried to block out the memories, the sensation of pain crossed my stomach and my spine as I held my head, I could barely register the fact that Dark had pulled me into an embrace as an attempt to comfort me. “Wilford, put that fucking gun away!” Dark snarled out, his voice distorting slightly as he spoke. The buzzing gradually got worse as the two men began to bicker and soon darkness began to creep at the corners of my vision. 

“St..orm...y…” I call out weakly before falling into the pits of unconsciousness.

 

_ The area around me was a pale grey, like the void and the mirror had become meshed together. A sick feeling spread across my stomach as I looked around. “What was it that was said to us that day? It’s not fair, is it?” A version of my voice, laced with anger, sounded out making my face pale as I worried about Dark’s safety. I turned around to see a twisted version of myself in my old clothes and that old curled up hairstyle. “I thought it was about time we met face to face. Past and present. Took me long enough to work it out, after all.” A groan left my lips as I heard the other version of me speak. _ So this is how Stormy felt… _ I thought to myself as I backed away from myself. If this was to end in a fight, I doubt I would win. _

_ A gulp bobbed my throat up and down as I continued to back away from the woman who dared to share my face. “Leave me alone.” I say before my back finds a wall, I turn to see a window that showed the outside world, huge chunks of the window missing, the chunks instead being replaced with a darkness that seemed to seep out into the walls of the area I was in. “The mirror…” My voice spoke out without much thought as I stared at the window that showed the outside of my prison. A dark chuckle sounded out from my counterpart, causing a grimace to cross my face.  _

_ “Our lovely prison, given to us by that wretched demon. But, I’m sure you can recall that on your own.” She spat, taking her place next to me. “We still have a connection to this place, that mist creeping in is rather new, however. It’s troubling, reminds me of that odd place where the siblings tricked us. I never thought I’d live to see the day that Stormy would betray me, then again, I wasn’t alive for it.” She hissed, I just wanted her to shut up.  _

_ I looked around before my eyes settled back onto the window, there was a blacked out chunk rather close to the bottom and as the curious person I was, I lifted my hand to touch the darkness that curled out from it. It seemed rather inviting as if it wanted me to touch it the mist curled up into my hand before wrapping around my arm. The darkness was both cold and warm at the same time, an odd sensation but it brought a smile to my face.  _ Looks like Dark left a bit of himself behind as he forced me in.  _ My thoughts muttered as I observed the piece of Dark’s aura as it seemed to stroke my skin. Knowing a piece of him was with me was comforting. “Ugh, you might want to brush that off.” My counterpart groaned in disgust before pulling my attention over to her by forcing me to face her. “Now, listen. We have a lot to discuss. That damned demon cannot continue to live - if we can truly call it living - as he has Damien’s soul. If we can get his soul then we can find Mark and find a way of swapping their souls around so our love can get his body back. Isn’t that what you want? For us, our heart and soul,  to finally have a chance with Dames?” She questioned, her arms crossed behind her back as she tried to pull the convincing attorney routine we had used so long ago, one of her hands would break away from behind her occasionally and gesture as she spoke. _

_ I felt sick as she spoke, my old way of thinking was trying to rise and take over me. I hate that I used to be her, used to think exactly like her - it made me feel disgusting. “Damien needs us just as I need you. Let me take over, let me take control. All I need is a single moment, a single chance to snuff him out and get Damien’s soul.” She continued to try and convince me and I began to feel limp as a part of me I was trying to destroy started to rear its ugly head. My counterpart was breaking away at my will, she knew her words were calling back old memories and desires. A small whine of pain left my lips as the sharp pain in my stomach appeared once again. “That demon is evil, he has done nothing but hurt the ones we love and us, he’s doing it even now.” Her voice cooed out as if a mother was talking to a child and it became surprising to me how much I wanted to punch my own face - her face. _

_ “What makes you think that I will so simply listen to you? A shadow of the person I once was, consumed by hatred of a creature that has been changed by time and people.” I state, allowing my arm to once again be wrapped up by the dark aura. “You’re not being tainted by what remains of the entity, are you?” I question mockingly as the shadows wrapped around my waist as if it as trying to hug me. The angered look on her face caused a smirk to curl my lips. _ Two can play at this game.  _ A small chuckle leaves my throat as I started to pace around the room. “I’m awake and I’m alive. You may need me but I certainly don’t need you.” I tell her as I get the aura to leave my waist and instead form a ball in my hand.  _

_ A few moments went by before an ugly cackle filled the air, I turned around on the spot and saw my counterpart with her arms wrapped around her stomach as she doubled over in laughter. “Oh wow, that was certainly something! But, your moment of strength is rather pointless. See?” With a click of her fingers the view of the window she continued to stand next to changed to show Dark backing away from whatever the window lead to as he held his stomach, deep red blood seeped through his fingers. _

“Sunshine… What…?” _Tears filled my Dear’s eyes as he continued to back away from what I could assume was my body. The view moved down to show my hand holding a large kitchen knife before looking up at the monochromatic man. Dark’s face started to distort into something I could only describe as pure, unadulterated rage._ “Give… her… back…” _Dark spoke out, obviously trying to fight the pain. His eyes seemed to darken down to the point it seemed as if there were no whites, just pure darkness. His shell cracked, revealing the two versions of him that usually flickered off of his body._ **“GIVE HER BACK!”** _I cringed as Dark’s voice distorted and the ear-splitting sound filled the area. I could barely watch as Dark lunged for my body, tears streaming down his face. The window soon returned to show the manor._

_ My counterpart began to cackle again as my face paled. I concentrated on telling her off that I wasn’t focusing on keeping control of my body. “What did you do?!” I yelled at her, the dark aura flaring up in my hand as my anger grew. Dark was hurt because of her. Damien was hurt because of her. My Stormy was in pain and bleeding because she decided that he didn’t deserve to live. “You know nothing of what that man is! Of what he means to me! Sure, he locked me away. Sure, a part of him in what caused our friends to die but he’s not that entity! _

_ “Dark is stubborn, he’s grumpy and he really needs to smile more. Sure he’s a demon but god… If you could just see his smile… He’s so much like Dames. He’s sharp-witted, he’s quick to temper, he’s got such a brilliant way with words and that smile… that smile… it melts my heart. As much as I never wanted to admit it, considering what he did to me, I have feelings for him.  _

_ “Yes, I love Damien. I love him with all my heart. And guess what? Damien is a part of Dark but that isn’t what makes me like him. Dark makes me feel alive, being around him practically breathes life into me. And I already lost a year of being with him because of you, I can’t stand the thought of losing more... _

_ “He’s my Stormy… And he will always have my heart.” My voice spoke out, tears pouring down my own face as I poured my heart out to this deranged version of me. Despite my blurred vision, I could see that she was also blubbering like a baby. Her eyes wide with shock and I could tell that she just realised the magnitude of her actions as apologies and apologies left her lips. She turned away and breathed heavily to try and calm down. Eventually, my counterpart sighed to herself and turned to look at me before her eyes widened as her gaze ran across my form. “What? What is it?” I asked confused before looking down at myself to see my ‘body’ being coated with the same black sludge that was found in the void. My entire being felt weighed down as if the goo were solid metal chains and my vision began to flicker in and out.    _

 

Suddenly I was back at the party, looking around in fear but it wasn’t my own. My counterpart was still in control of my body. She gazes down to see cuts littering my body, I could barely make out arguing in the distance over the sound of static coating the air. A foul metallic taste was in my mouth once again. The other me looked off to the side of the room and I could just about make out the fighting forms of Dark, Jackieboy Man and Silver Sheppard. A pained groan left my lips as she struggled to make her way into the middle of the fight. “Demon, something’s wron-” Our voice was cut off by the sound of gurgling that ripped its way through my throat. The feeling of something dislodging itself was horrible but somewhat relieving. Shortly after the black tendril left my body I was suddenly given back control despite my heavily weakened state. “Stormy… help…” I could barely speak out as I began to drop to the floor, darkness once again at the edges of my vision but this felt different, it felt colder. 

 

I could just about hear the man I loved cry out my name as unconsciousness flooded me once again.


	18. Comatose

Complete and utter darkness, not unlike the void I had become so adjusted to but instead of being stuck in dark and thick sludge that I had come to expect, it felt like I was floating. Muffled words floated by every now and again, filling the deafening silence of my new prison. I wished to know what the words said but they were usually unintelligible, as if they were just being muttered. I could only just about recognise the voices. A sigh from me broke the silence, needless to say, that I was bored. “...wake…” The word was quiet, the voice that spoke it was cracking slightly as if the speaker was crying but I didn’t know why. I didn’t know why I was floating in this abyss that I was stuck in, I just hoped that Dark didn’t lock me away again. “...please…” Another word, another plea. Those were the two words I were used to by now, the ones I could decipher without much trouble. 

A deep part of me, a part I could only assume to be my counterpart, spoke in nothing but muffled apologies. At least she was sorry. I didn’t have the energy to fight, I didn’t have the energy for anything really. I wasn’t sure how long I had been just floating in one spot, just listening to countless voices speak out unintelligible mutters. 

Moments went by before the abyss shifted slightly and suddenly a voice, closer and clearer than ever, spoke out to me. “Please… Please wake up… I can’t go through this again.” The person’s voice cracked and warped and was distorted as if multiple people tried speaking at the same time but the pain was evident. Whoever it was, was hurting and I felt horrible for not being able to help them. It seemed like almost forever before I heard anything again, the tune of My Only Sunshine and it was sung so sweetly that it made my heart soar at the sound, the only good thing to happen since I became stuck in the abyss. I tried to sing along, or to make any sound at all but nothing would leave my lips, I was just left with my thoughts. I could practically feel the tears well up in my eyes in frustration as I kept trying to join in with the sad song. A silent huff left me as I tried to look around in the pitch black, hoping to see anything at all rather than the bland nothingness but it was an effort in vain. 

There were several key voices that fluttered through the abyss and kept me company. First one was what I called the Group, which was actually several voices which all sounded similar and all said words of encouragement. Another was what I deemed to be the Arguers, a bit like the Group but they didn’t get along as well, a rather monotone voice would be discouraging, talking about something being improbable while other voices bickered with that voice but there was always another voice there in the background who would occasionally visit by themselves, the Storyteller. I liked that voice, it was low and it was calming. There was the Chipper duo, always joking and being friendly but it seemed as if they were competing for the position of someone’s best friend. And the last of the key voices was the Singer, my favourite visitor. 

The singer was the main voice that kept coming back, usually singing the same song but the songs did change every now and again but it was usually either romantic or sad songs. The singer’s voice reminded me of Dark, it was deep and baritone and held such a range of emotion, it got to the point that eventually my thoughts would slip up and accidentally call him Dark. It made it seem as if Dark was here singing to me and keeping me company, oh how I wished for something like that. I had given up trying to call for Celine or Damien a long time ago now, they couldn’t hear me and I knew Dark couldn’t either but I hoped anyway.

I hoped that there was a way out of this, that I wasn’t just stuck here but every day that hope began to dwindle and I stopped counting how much time passed a while ago. I felt as if I was a flickering flame, threatening to be snuffed out by the darkness that coated my surrounds. I couldn’t even see myself which was bizarre but it helped me draw more to the conclusion that I wasn’t in the Void. A voice fluttered through, then another spoke up to compete with that voice but there was also a third, louder voice telling them to behave. _Looks like the Singer and the Chipper duo visited at the same time._ My thoughts chuckled as I heard them joke for a little bit before the Singer requested some time alone. “Darling…” They sighed, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “God, if you could hear me right now you’d ask what’s wrong with me…” Their voice cracked as they talked before sobs began to slip out and break their talk. “Fuck, I miss you. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Never you!” The Singer exclaimed and suddenly the sensation of warmth coated my hand as something brushed gently against my lips, shocking me slightly as I tried to listen to the Singer. “As soon as you wake up, I’m going to do something that he should of done a long time ago… I’m going to ask you to marry me and then we can find a place of our own to live together and… and… we could always start a family? You’d like that, wouldn’t you? A life with me? After all, I could give you anything.” Another sigh and the sound of shuffling paused their hopeful speech before they spoke out again. “Ugh! Who am I kidding…?! I’d just be lucky if you wanted to see me at all...! ... I love you.” Soon their sobs became more prominent, the sound being practically heartbreaking to my ears. A weird pressure laid across my chest as I felt like sobbing myself. Soon the Chipper duo came back and left with the Singer quickly afterwards.

I could tell more time had passed before another voice greeted me, a new voice and it was quieter than the rest as if it was whispering, muttering about how they missed someone and that what they were going to do was justified. I tried to question the hushed voice but was started to find the abyss move and shake about, discombobulating me as I tried to steady my floating form. _A void shouldn’t be able to move like this! I must be..._ There was a rhythmic bobbing for a while before the abyss settled down again. _Oh god no._

A long period of time passed before I heard the hushed voice again, I could hear apologies flood out from the speaker but the reasoning was unintelligible like most words I was able to hear. Despite the floods of apologies and how the abyss moved, I had the worrying suspicion that I had been kidnapped in some form. The speaker spoke out again, warmth laced in their voice as they spoke out. As they spoke to me. It was painful to realise that I wasn’t just in any random abyss but that I was stuck in my own mind but there’s only so much you can react to when you’re just a consciousness floating in the abyss of unconsciousness. _It would have been nice if I was at least able to dream. Then I would have been able to actually talk to people._ My thoughts huffed out as I tried to concentrate on my kidnapper’s words and voice but the most that I could tell was that they were male. 

_Well, this sucks!_ My thoughts hissed as I became bored once again as the speaker became silent. Random songs that I thought were long forgotten became stuck in my head, infuriating me to no end as I tried to once again forget them. Ages passed before I heard a voice again, the same voice that apologised profusely after kidnapping me. “I’m sorry for it coming to this but I was left with no choice… I couldn’t lose my best friend again.” The first clear sentence in what seemed like forever since I was taken. “I want you to wake up… Need you to.” His voice cracked, much like the Singer’s voice. “I love you,” A sick feeling bubbled throughout me with those words. I didn’t want him to say that there were only two people I’d happily hear that from and he was neither. “And I can’t wait to show you how much I do in fact love you.” His voice deepened near the end of the sentence and the sick feeling grew more intense. _I didn’t want my kidnapper expressing his love to me. Ugh! I want to wake up already!_ My thoughts whined as I tried to focus on getting my body to move. 

Forever went by, more confessions and sickly sweet nothings that I absolutely detested left my kidnappers mouth and disgusting pressure against my face and lips bugged me to no end before I felt my fingers begin to twitch and try to curl so they got used to the feeling of moving. I waited until the room my body was in was dead silent before willing my eyes to open. A small groan left my lips as a bright light overwhelmed my senses, blinding me for just a moment before I was back to normal and gazing around the scarily familiar room. The sound of claws clicking against the ground outside caused me a mild bit of alarm before my heart settled down. I took my time as I shimmied to the side of the bed, allowing my legs to swing gently to the floor as I started my journey to leave my kidnapper’s house before he could notice I was awake. 

Having to leave his home in a sneaky manner brought an old memory to the front but I brushed it back, not needing it to distract me as I made my way to the other side of the room. I gazed down at myself for a moment to see myself in a pair of loose pink pyjama bottoms and a yellow and white button shirt. _Guess Wilford dressed me before I was taken._ My thoughts murmured as I placed my attention back to the task at hand.  

I slowly made my way around the house, dodging things that were bound to make noise as I went and eventually I found myself in the garden, my kidnapper being too close to the front door for me to be comfortable to try that as an option. With a jump, I tried to climb up the large white fence before a whine pulled my attention away. My eyes shot around, trying to find the source of the noise before they landed on a very familiar, loveable pup. “Chica, no…!” I whisper yelled as she began to get more antsy at the sight of me trying to leave. Another whine, this one catching his attention. I could hear his voice begin to call out for his dog as I pushed myself up and over the fence. His voice grew louder and coated in concern as he most likely made his way over to his now barking pup. I held my breath as I began to sneak away from the area behind the house and around the house before I found a familiar van, a gulp bobbed my throat but I grabbed at the opportunity as it called to me. The van was unlocked as I tried the door, hot-wiring it was a breeze thanks to Wilford’s insistence he trained me in everything he knew so I could keep up with him, driving it despite the pain wracking through my body felt amazing as I got away from the man who dared kidnap me. I wasn’t going to allow myself time to end up with Stockholm Syndrome, this wasn’t that kind of story. 

I drove and drove and drove before I ended up in the middle of practically nowhere. The night skies were dark and seemed starless and they beckoned me to sleep, to rest despite how long I was unconscious for. I put the emergency brake on and climbed into the back as I listened to the night’s call for the creatures of the day to sleep. I wrapped up tight in a dusty blanket and just listened to the nocturnal animals that roamed the area until unconsciousness claimed me.

 

_ I groaned from the pain as I examined myself, it wasn’t a sharp pain but it was annoying as I looked through the plethora of healing scars that now littered my body. I had been sitting down in the rose meadow for about ten minutes just checking the marks that were sprinkled all over. Guilt wracked through me as I remembered what a part of me had done, I hated the fact that I played a hand in nearly killing Dark at all, let alone twice. A short noise caught my attention, pulling my gaze off of my scars and towards the horizon, a small figure was moving towards me, making me push myself back with my feet but it wasn’t long before the figure crashed into me, pitch black fur flooded my senses and tickled at my face causing a giggle to bubble up and out of me. “Midnight!?” I squealed happily and pulled the good pup into a hug, struggling to wrap my arms around his neck as his body wiggled with his wagging tail. “I missed you!” I cry out, nuzzling the ebony coloured canine.  _

_ Small but happy sounding yips left my good boy as he continued to excitedly greet me. I continued to pet and stroke the dog for a while before getting him to rest beside me as we looked out at the night sky, the same brilliant blue-hued sky that Damien had crafted for me. “I wonder where Dames is…” I muttered, my gaze dropping and turning to look at a nearby white rose, similar to the ones he always wore in his lapel. A smile curled my lips at the memory. I could remember Mark joking that Damien’s wedding would be practically overtaken by white roses if the man got his way, the statement would always make the man blush in embarrassment and tell Mark off for saying such things. “I miss him…” My voice barely whispered as I reminisce on my memories but soon they were interrupted by something brushing my hair back, making me look around wildly for the person only to see Midnight wagging his tail happily next to me. “What is it, boy?” I ask softly, rubbing the top of his head gently as I spoke.  _

_The calm atmosphere was broken up by the sound of crackling and a weird green hue glitching through the blue. “What the…?” I question as I pull a now growling Midy close. A moment of silence went by, maybe even two before I was sent flying backwards and into a tree with something latching to my torso. A yelp left my lips, followed by a groan as my back collided with the bark and the wood._ For a dream world, this sure feels really real. _My thoughts groaned as my gaze fell onto the sobbing green tinted imp that clung to me._

_“It’s been nearly 2 months!” The glitch sobbed out, only to turn into his cat form and curl into my lap, purring quickly left him as I stroked the poor guy’s fur. Midnight was quick to run over and plop down by my side, still growling slightly as he glared at the feline in my lap only for Ace to realise and lazily swipe his paw at Midy as if he was trying to shoo him away, a small growl leaving him as well. A chuckle left my lips as I watched the pair’s newfound rivalry, not entirely understanding why it even formed. The three of us stayed like that for a while before Ace and Midy actually got into a full-fledged fight, hissing and snarling at each other as if I was never there. I sigh for a moment and start to tell them off before freezing._ How is Midnight here? _My thoughts squeak out as I watch the two fight, flashes of previous fights between Dark and Anti filled my mind._

 

I woke up quickly after that, the horrid feeling of something burning as it rose up my throat, I rushed out of the van and released the contents of my stomach up against a nearby tree, coughing shortly afterwards which only irritated the burning sensation. A groan left me as I sluggishly made my way back over to the van. I wasn’t sure if I was feeling weird because I had been unconscious for too long or because of something else. I thought back to the dream that I had and was curious if it was just a dream and not the egos visiting in my sleep like usual, the events just seemed too random to be a visit but then again I couldn’t remember the last time I had an actual dream, it had been years since that point. “Celine, you there? I really need someone to talk to…” I called out to the spirit but got no reply as I sat there in the silent van that sat in the middle of an even more silent nowhere. A sigh sounded out from me before I began messing with the TV which cracked with static as I struggled to find a signal. “Come on…” I mutter to myself as I continued to mess with the wiring before giving up nearly an hour later and plopping down in the driver’s seat and started to drive around, hoping I could find that place I called home once again.


	19. Hideaway

It had been about a week with me on the road, unless I was at a motel or on the side of the road throwing up from what I could only assume was food poisoning from whatever people tried to feed me during my coma, before I stumbled across the old place, the manor in which I died but it was better than nothing. The town was a good several miles away but I needed my rest by that point and I knew no one was going to be in the large house to bother me, well I hoped anyway. The old door creaked loudly as it slowly swung open after I pushed against it, the place was more lifeless than before since the resident spirits had left, the only thing that seemed to be living in the area were plants and even they seemed to be wilting. I checked around the area to see if any wild animals had tried to make this place their home before heading back to the van and gathering some of the things I had been able to buy due to the man leaving money in the glovebox. 

I stumbled up the stairs bag in hand and into the room that I slept in the night before I died, just happy at the chance to sleep on a bed instead of in the van. I knew that my kidnapper was probably trying to track me down but at this point, I was too tired to care, I just wanted a comfortable night’s sleep both for my sake and the sake of seeing either of my boys. A groan left my lips as I laid myself down on the dusty old bed, coughing slightly as the dust attacked my lungs. Much like with Damien’s old bed, it was surprisingly still comfortable and sturdy as it didn’t break as soon as more weight was added to it. Just as I was about to doze off, the loud bang on a door slamming against a wall echoed out, chasing away any sleep that I felt as I shot off of the bed and yanked the crowbar from my bag, holding it close as I slowly made my way downstairs. “That was louder than I was expecting.” The voice spoke out as if the speaker was embarrassed.

“What ze hell were you trying to do, Jackie? Break ze door down?” A familiar German accent sounded out, indicating the intruders' identities. The good doctor, Henrik and the lovable superhero, Jackieboy Man stood at the door as if they were waiting for something, anything to happen. I could just about see them from my position at the top of the stairs, Henrik had his arms crossed while Jackie had his hands on his sides in a proud stance despite the nervous smile on his face. “We’re trying to find ze girl und her kidnapper, alerting zhem to our presence isn’t going to help,” Henrik explained, stepping further into the manor to look around. “Gott im himmel, zhis place is dusty!” The doctor exclaimed, covering his face with the surgeon's mask that was previously just hanging around his neck. “Oh shush, Jackie.” The German said in response to Jackie making a comment about how loud the doctor was being and even repeating the doctor’s words. 

A small giggle left my lips, quiet enough to not alert or startle the boys downstairs as I made my way down them. “Henrik! Jackie!” I called out happily, practically rushing over to them but being careful with the crowbar that was still firmly in my hand. The boys crushed me into a tight hug, avoiding the crowbar like champs. “I missed you guys! Dark and Anti got search parties out for me?” The pair nodded at my question but kept their hold on me. “Who was the last person to see me before I was kidnapped?” I asked, recalling the Singer’s words.

They flinched for a moment and finally released their hold on me as they moved away to discuss if they should tell me or not, or so I assumed from the context of the situation. I sigh and tell them it’s not important, that I was just curious before asking them if they were hungry as I started to walk back upstairs to my bag where I kept some snacks on me. Henrik declined while Jackie jumped at the chance for snacks, his eagerness making me chuckle as he bound up the stairs after me. The boys made sure to catch me up on what was happening with everyone, that Sean had got in contact with all of them in his quest to try and find me and helped look after me with Wilford during my coma. That would be the Chipper duo then. Then they went on to explain that when I was kidnapped that Anti, Dark and Wilford went on a rampage, practically destroying everything in their sights and then the two demonic egos went on to demand that everyone was to look for me but it wasn’t as if they had to demand that as Jackie went on to say: “Most of us had already planned places to look and began setting up teams by the time they so much as started to tell us to look! Heck, Google and the Host are currently looking around the nearby town.”

“So, why are you all alone here?” Henrik asked as he munched on a granola bar that he had with him as Jackie and I sat on the floor at the foot of the bed eating jelly beans. I shrugged and told them that I came here to rest. “Weird place to rest but I won’t judge, I’ve slept in weirder places. Anyway, let me check you over.” Before I had time to object I was in his grasp as he gave me the best checkup he could given the fact we were in a century-old abandoned manor without any equipment. “Everything seems to be fine, zhank gott.” Henrik announces before yawning, setting off an avalanche of yawns between the three of us that filled the room. It was fair to say that we all needed sleep.

A large booming sound awoke us from a nap we all found ourselves in, the floorboards downstairs creaked and groaned loudly as whoever it was made their way around. “Honey, are you in here? You ran away from me before I could love on you!” His voice called out, sending a chill down my spine as my blood seemed to freeze at the sound. Henrik was quick to pick up my crowbar as Jackie slowly and carefully made his way out of the room. The doctor and I spoke under hushedly towards each other as we listened out for any sounds that indicated trouble for the superhero. As soon as we heard fighting, we flew down the stairs to see Jackieboy Man and my kidnapper fighting, Jackie seemed to be winning considering that he was less hurt. 

“Mark, stop it!” I yell, playing innocent as I pull the two away but keeping my distance from the American once they stopped. “What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! First, you kidnap me, then you stalk me?! You don’t do that! I thought we were friends!” My voice grew louder as I told the man off, acting as if I didn’t know why he was here or why he took me, I would most likely get more answers that way. “And now you’re attacking my friends…” The volume of my voice drops as I begin to check over the superhero, my time as a nurse kicking in as I examine the man. From the corner of my vision, I could see Mark shift awkwardly and I could just about hear him mutter to himself as if he was having an argument. I roll my eyes at his actions before continuing to focus on the Irishman. 

A huff left Mark’s lips before a hand snaked around my waist and crushed me to his chest. “Is it so wrong to love my best friend? To want to be with you? Those guys would just get you hurt, doll.” He muttered lowly into my ear before nibbling the tip of it, making me hiss slightly at the pain that now crawled across it. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist, preventing any form of escape. “I’m just saving you from the inevitable. Loving a demon will only hurt you.” He whispered, his voice faking warmth so easily like the actor he was but his actions gave him away. The Septic egos huffed and talked quietly amongst each other while Mark continued his overly tight embrace. “Let’s go home, we can be happy together.”

A growl slipped past my lips as an unfamiliar rage burned throughout me, a disgusting about of hatred setting my body alight and making my blood boil. There was something in me that detested this man far more than what should have been humanly possible and it began to overwhelm me as my stomach felt like it was beginning to churn.  **“Get.Off.”** My voice growled out lowly but the words won’t my own.  _ Oh god, I’ve been possessed, haven’t I?  _ My thoughts panicked out as I tried to make sense of the situation.  **“GET.OFF.”** Whoever was controlling my voice warned again, making my body shift uncomfortably against the man’s arms. “Get off of me!” I cried out as a pain shot through my stomach, a gasp was quick to leave my lips as I was spun around and a sharp sting invaded my cheek. Tears collected in my eyes as I was quickly crushed into his chest again and he tried to hush me, claiming that everything was okay despite the fact I knew otherwise. I could hear Jackie and Henrik fussing over me from a distance but they didn’t dare come close to a man who willingly hit someone he claimed he loved. I preferred it that they didn’t fight anyway, I didn’t want them hurt.

A hushed voice spoke out, whispering apologises as the rage inside me continued to grow, my own melding with it as I wanted nothing more than to hurt the actor. “It’s okay, honey, it’s okay. Just listen to me… They’re not good people…” His voice came out soft as his hand brushed against the forming bruise that coated my cheek, trying not to bring it any more pain.  **_I want to kill him._ ** Celine’s voice hissed in my head, the first time I heard from her in a while, alerting me to who the voice was. The area around us warmed up uncomfortably as Celine’s rage grew stronger, her emotions were probably closer to the rest of her soul now that she was back in the place she was murdered. The seer and I spoke back and forth quickly, coming up with a plan to try and get away from the man that the pair of us want nothing to do with.  _ I can’t believe this man used to be my best friend… _ My thoughts whimpered out as our plan slowly became finalised. 

I took a deep breath and begrudgingly snuggled up against the man. Allowing my arms to wrap around his neck and pull him down. Mark’s eyebrow raised in confusion but he humoured my actions by wrapping his arms loosely around my hips, a small smirk played at the corner of his lips.  _ Ugh, he probably thinks I’m into him. _ My thoughts groaned out as I tried to hide my disgust.  **_If you were attracted to him it would only be because he has my brother’s body._ ** The seer tried to assure me as I buried my head into the crook of his neck, getting ready for the next stage of the plan but I couldn’t help but worry about what would happen if it didn’t work. I took a deep breath as silently as I could, allowing my mouth to be just by his ear as I screamed: “MURDER!!!”

Thunder and lightning clapped down on the old manor, shocking all but Celine and I as I used the small moment to push the actor away from me. I was actually surprised that the manor still reacted to the spoken word but I took the blessing for what it was worth and use the small bit of time to run towards the Septic egos. A snarl sounding out shortly after the thunder stopped is what shocked me, however, as what appeared to be Midnight rushed in and tackled Mark to the ground, making him yelp and try to kick the dog off. Mark attempted to fight or hurt Midy only to stop his actions midway, his actions seemed disjointed as if he was fighting himself. I didn’t have time to think on this before Midy got sent flying in my direction, which proceeded to make me collide with Jackie and Henrik. Yelps left all of us as we fell into a pile on the floor. Midy whined slightly before jumping off of me and taking a defensive stance, his growls sounding out once again. “Stupid mutt, just let me get to my girl!” The actor growled back, brushing himself down as he stood up straight. 

Soon the area became terribly cold which caused Jackie to exclaim about it and pulled the doctor and me into tight hugs as his teeth chattered because of the sudden chill **. “How dare you think that you so much as have a right to consider her yours?!”** Dark’s angry distorted voice hissed out as a shadow crept in and coated our surroundings.  **“How dare you think that you so much as have a right to hurt her?!”** His voice deepened and echoed more and more as the static grew louder and louder, the shadows causing less light to enter the room and dimming it as if it was becoming nighttime. Midy still stood strong between us and Mark, snarling and growling and occasionally biting at the air to warn the man, seemingly unfazed by anything Dark was doing.  **“How dare you think that my Sunshine would ever want you.”** The demon laughed out, his shadows becoming far more prominent as they formed a figure in the middle of the room, standing just in front of Midy. “I much preferred it when you were clueless as to who you were.” 

Darkness coated the area for a few moments before it lifted to the point things were visible again. Dark stood firmly in the middle of the room, Midy had now disappeared which made panic shoot through me as I wanted nothing more than to make sure the pup was okay. “Darky!” I called out happily, rather overjoyed to see the demon again despite the panic running through me. “Did you miss me?” I joke out, my words coming out in small gasps as it tried to combat the Irish superhero’s overly tight hug. 

The demon nodded, a chuckle leaving his lips as he turned his head slightly to look at me. “Hello darling, stay there, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt.” His neck snapped from side to side as the 3D effect that typically surrounded him got worse. Mark said something but his voice was muffled by static that suddenly grew louder.  **“You don’t deserve to speak to her.”** He stated before being tackled to the ground. The two tumbled around for a while, throwing punches and almost catfighting in a way only for the fighting to escalate when Mark grabbed the crowbar that Henrik had dropped when I was thrown into them. The clanging of metal on the ground as Dark tried his hardest to dodge the swings made me flinch, my arms unconsciously wrapping around me in a protective manner as I tried backing away. My body, my consciousness thought with itself as I desperately wanted to help Dark win the fight but something was telling me to just flee, that he’d be fine. Even Celine wasn’t much help with her panicking over her brother’s soul and body becoming hurt. 

Dark hissed in pain as the crowbar met his stomach, sending him back slightly as he tried to keep his balance. A groan left his lips shadows flared around his hands. “I fucking hate you.” The monochromatic man hissed out as he lunged for the actor as if he was ready to tear into him that moment. Another swing and another groan.  **_He’s holding back, he can’t bring himself to hurt Damien’s body._ ** Celine whimpered, feeling useless in the situation as she still didn’t want them aware of her presence. Though despite the constant beating, it was clear that Dark’s temper was flaring as his shell broke more and more with each new hit. Another hit of the crowbar and Dark was on the ground, gripping his stomach and head in agony.

Panic coated Dark’s eyes as soon as he noticed an overly cocky Mark turn towards the other egos and I. “Get her out of here!” As soon as Jackie heard those words I was scooped up in his arms and he was sprinting out of there, Henrik following closely behind as we made our way to the van.

We stayed there for what seemed to be hours as we huddled into one of the corners of the inside of the van while shouts and the occasional lightning strike sounded out, making the topic of the conversation obvious to me as time went on. Soon enough a shadow swallowed the main door to the back of the van and opened it, throwing a seemingly unconscious Mark in as the shadow itself seeped over and took the solid form of Dark. The demon groaned to himself as he sat down and pulled me over to him, his head almost immediately falling onto my lap as he panted, his hand gently gripping at my dirty cardigan - which I happened to find in the van shortly after I stole it - as if it was a comfort to him. 

Henrik made sure to shift over towards us so he could check both Dark and Mark over while Jackie climbed into the front and started to drive towards what I could only assume was the town as my hand brushed gently through Dark’s hair, sweet nothing leaving my mouth softly in an attempt to comfort the man in obvious agony. “We’ll be home soon. Or the lass’s home, should I say!” Jackie exclaimed as he tried to lighten the pretty sombre mood. “Positive thinking everybody!” He cheered but kept his eyes on the road like the responsible superhero he was but also reminding me of my dear friend. _ I should really spend some time with Sean once everything calms down. Yeah, Dark, Sean, Will, Anti and I all hanging out. We deserve it. _ My thoughts plan out while Celine agrees from the back of my mind, immediately coming up with places to go and things to do that she hoped Wilford would like. 

It took a small bit to reach Damien’s home but once we were inside, it was more peaceful than what I had anticipated. JJ and Bim were pacing, waiting for their fellow egos to return with at least some news, once they noticed us they were quick to help get the injured man into Damien’s bed and the previously unconscious one - who was now asking why multiples of his friend were carrying him - into a guest bed. I barely had any energy left in me once I laid down next to the wounded demon, I couldn’t even bring myself to care about the nausea that crept up on me. “You did good, Stormy…” I muttered out, stroking his cheek lightly as snuggled into his side. “I’m proud of you.” A yawn soon followed my words as Dark wrapped his arms around me. “I…” Soon my words turned to nothing as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep that I desperately needed.


	20. Back Home

Nausea was what woke me up, the feeling of needing to vomit compelled me to sprint out of bed and into the nearest room with a toilet so I could empty my stomach. An ugly sounding groan left my lips as I tried to clean the flavour from my mouth, the acidic burning causing me to wince slightly as I took a few deep breaths. I was mildly coughing by the time I turned to leave the room only to jump in shock due to Dark standing in the doorway looking worried. “What are you doing there, Stormy? You need rest.” I say before wrapping my arms gently around his torso, trying to avoid accidentally injuring his most likely heavily bruised stomach.

“I heard you throwing up, you okay?” He muttered out, his head almost immediately burying into the crook of my neck as he spoke, his voice almost completely like the man I fell in love with all those years ago but the echo was still there. Dark’s arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me close as if he was still trying to process the fact that we were together once again. I tell him that I was fine, that I most likely just had a stomach bug but I was still fine all the same. “Let’s get back to bed…” Slowly the demon walked backwards, guiding me gently back to Damien’s bed. I quickly found my place beside the man as I was practically curled against him while my head rested on top of his chest as if I was trying to listen to his nonexistent heartbeat. I let out a happy sigh and snuggle further into the man’s chest, the smell of expensive cologne was faded but still there, still the same scent that I expected my beloved demon to have. “You are my Sunshine…” Dark started to sing out a familiar song which brought memories of my time in a coma to thought.

The room was suddenly coated in shadows but I wasn’t worried, this was Dark’s doing after all. “My only Sunshine…” His voice continued, making me slowly connect the dots. Delicate shades of blue and red danced about, as if they were putting on a show before they slowed down and spread out like a galaxy in front of me. The small lights seemed to sparkle as they tried to not be consumed by the shadows.  “You make me happy, when skies are grey... “ The demon nuzzled his nose against the top of my head, a soft and peaceful smile on his face. The blue shade that was correlated with Damien seemed to radiate off of the man strongly as I noticed his hair to be more slicked back than normal. Safe to say that Dark was a very beautiful man. “You’ll never know, Dear, how much I love you… So please don’t take my Sunshine away.” He finished the small portion of the song, pulling me into a gentle kiss.

When he pulled away the shadows and shades of colour that were once depicting a galaxy faded back into him and the room was filled with the morning’s light. The soft lighting matching the mood of the room perfectly as it reflected off the fallen angel in such a wonderful way. Crimson invaded my cheeks as I tried to process Dark’s subtle confession that was combined with the delicate look on his face. Of course, as life with the egos went, nothing stayed peaceful forever.

“DARK!!!” Wilford’s panicked voice filled air as the slamming of doors sounded out. The demon who’s name was just called out groaned to himself as he turned to bury his head in the soft white pillows, cursing Wilford’s name for destroying the moment. With each new slam of a door, Wilford shouting out the monochromatic man’s name and occasionally another voice telling the madman off which was evident by their scolding tone. “DARK! Oh, you’re here.” Was all that he said when he entered the room that the demon was actually in. “And Gumdrop is here too! Oh! Is this a slumber party?! I want to join!” The reporter beamed before he jumped onto the bed next to me, suddenly in his sleepwear of a yellow top and striped pink bottoms. I bounced a small bit before Dark wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest, his shadows holding him down to the bed so his wounds weren’t agitated. A giggle slipped out of me as the madman fluttered gentle kisses across my cheeks, nose and forehead as he rambled on about how much he missed me and a few teasing words directed towards the man that held me close.

I wrap my arms around Wilford and give him a tight hug despite Dark’s small whines for attention which made my heart flutter. “Missed ya, Colonel.” I muttered out, a squeak soon followed as I was crushed into a tight hug as the pastel dressed man began to sob. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to call you that!” I cry out as I tried to comfort the man only for his happy laughter to cut me off.  

The man nuzzled me a small bit before pulling away and sitting up onto his calves. “It’s okay, old chap! Really! I just… I missed you calling me that.” He admitted, pulling me up so I sat between him and a still laying Dark. My gaze fell on my love to find him smiling back up at me which made my own smile appear. “Things are going to get better from here, right? Now that he’s under control?” The moustached man asked softly, pulling me into a tight hug as he rocked us back and forth slightly. Dark shifted behind me for a moment before swallowing both Will and me into hug.

“Hopefully.” Is all the demon said on that as our hug became tighter, both men seemingly avoiding wrapping their arms around my midsection, the heat from one man and the cold from the other radiated through me and started to lull me back to sleep.

 

_The feeling of arms wrapped gently around me before I had a chance to even open my eyes, the person’s warmth radiating across my back. A gentle and familiar warmth. I open my eyes to see the rich blue sky of the meadow above me, small hints of red in my peripheral line drew my attention over to the red flowers that had been dotted around. “I missed you.” His voice muttered softly in my ear before he nuzzled against the nape of my neck, his breath tickling it gently. My love’s usually greased back hair was now a seemingly wavy mess, similar to how he had it when we were at University together. I murmur that I missed him too before turning around to face Damien properly only for my face to twist in confusion as I noticed what seemed to be eyeliner and an odd darkness under his eyes which contrasted with his now paler skin. I ask him if he’s okay, my hand brushing across his cheek but all he did was lean into it._

_“He’s fine. Just getting used to the fact that him and Dark are practically the same person now, I reckon. Seeing as he has almost all the influence over the demon now that his soul has been put back together. Though not without cracks, but I’m sure you know all too well about that.” The Seer’s voice calmly spoke out as she paced closer, a small smile painted on her lips as she enveloped me into a hug. “It’s so nice to finally see you face to face again, so much better than being orb to face. To think when we were last face to face I couldn’t care less about you… If only my brother had explained his feelings for you then maybe my full self would’ve seen your worth.” Celine lamented, reminding me that the Celine I had come to know was only the good side of the Seer and the original Seer was fine throwing my life away._

_Damien scoffed lightly, pulling me away from his sister and further into his own embrace. “Well, sorry if I didn’t bother to explain who I was in love with to a sister that had made sure I couldn’t contact her!” His grip tightened around my arms as his anger grew. I mutter his nickname softly and drag his attention back over to me. “Sorry, Sunshine…” He whispered as he began nuzzling gently into my hair, something about his actions made it seem as if he was afraid to touch me. “Sister, are you sure that your husband is fully dealt with?” My love asked firmly, one of his hands holding my head to his chest, letting me listen to the sound of his faint heartbeat. The Seer scolded Damien, reminding him that the Actor was her ex, divorced or not._

_A moment went by, Celine obviously visiting the waking world to check up on the egos. “Fairly sure, Mark’s aura is completely different from before… It’s very possible that this Mark truly isn’t our Mark, possibly a bit like our situation where the good parts of him spilt from the bad. Which means the Mark we need to worry about most likely fled back into your body. Only joining with his good self for personal gain.” Damien questioned about the fight in the manor, Dark was sure that Mark was using Damien’s body in that moment but his questioning was interrupted by Celine shaking her head. “I fear he’s realised that it would be incredibly easy for you to get your body back if he was to take it back to the manor.” She sighed and looked away for a moment before her attention was back to us, or rather back to Damien as her face distorts with concern.“The doctors said they’re fine, Damien, stop worrying. You’ll make yourself sick.” Her scolding voice sounded out as my face lifted up to look at her brother, he was looking away with worry etched deeply onto his pale face._

_The meadow became silent for a while as the siblings seemed to bicker back and forth with their facial expressions, Damien keeping me pinned lightly to him as they did. Eventually, Damien’s grip on me slowly slipped and allowed me to move away from him, the warmth he gave me almost immediately fled from my body and caused me to shake at the sudden chill as my body complained at me to move back towards the Mayor. I slowly wandered away from the pair, allowing them to speak openly as it was clear that there was something they didn’t want me to know._

_The forest surrounding the meadow was dense and seemed to be covered in a thin layer of dew that flicked off of plants and coated me as I made my way further and further in. As my feet carried me I noticed the blue of my surroundings slowly dulling into shades of grey, I brought myself to a stop at the edge of the forest, staring at the void that seemed to be trying to break its way through indicated by a large opening that was suspended in the air. “Dark?” I call out softly, wondering if the demon had fallen asleep or was still speaking to Wilford. My call was replied to with thin, long tendrils that slithered their way through the air and wrapped themselves around my arm which I stretched out, their movements tickled my skin and caused me to giggle at the sensation._

_“What are you doing so far away from the meadow, my dear?” Dark’s voice spoke out, echoing from the void as more of the tendrils wrapped around me, pulling me closer to the dark opening. Dark’s face appearing out of the thick smoke that seeped out of the hole. “Now, you really should head back to the Mayor, but I can’t help but be selfish, even if it is against myself.” He chuckled and slowly stepped out of the opening and straight in front of me, his arms gently wrapping around my waist and pulling me into his cool embrace. The warm smile on his face blew my breath away._ Celine wasn’t kidding when she said that him and Damien are basically the same person now. _My hand brushed his cheek gently, his grey skin darkening at the gesture. “I think it’s best you wake up, the doctors want to check over you.” I give him a small nod before letting myself fall into consciousness._

 

The bright lights of the makeshift clinic caused me to wince uncomfortably as my sleepy eyes suffered, I gazed around to see Henrik and Dr Iplier muttering amongst themselves while Dark was busy holding my hand, his thumb gently stroking the back of it. “Did they already check me over or something?” I mumble out only to be told that some checks were done but they still needed to speak to me. The questions were rather basic, ranging from how I felt at the moment to if I had been experiencing anything that could be considered troubling but my throwing up, which I had mentioned earlier in the questioning was brushed off. Dark didn’t even seem phased about that, instead only having something to say when Iplier said something out of line or scared me when his famous line accidentally slipped out. He couldn’t apologise enough - especially when Dark’s shadows appeared.

Once given the all clear, Dark lead me out of the room, out of the manor and into Damien’s garden that Bim had apparently taken to looking after while I was gone. I look down to where Dark and I were joined, my arm wrapped around his. The garden, even back then, was something Damien was proud of. Pure white roses and delicate blue forget me nots were a typical sight amongst the deep greens of the various bushes and small trees that he would tend to. It took a while to bring the old garden back to its original beauty but it seemed as it was more than just me that wanted to keep the place thriving. “I’m glad you decided to bring this place back, it took long enough to grow those flowers for you to begin with…” Dark muttered, his voice becoming lighter as his arm slipped from mine as he approached some forget me nots and bending down, picking some and slowly weaving them together, forming a blue circlet with the flowers.

It took a few moments before the demon made his way back over to me, gently placing the circlet on my head. The dork had made me a flower crown. My cheeks reddened slightly as a large grin crossed my face, thanking the man without having to say a word as I brought him into a tight hug. A vague memory of catching Damien reading a book on the language of flowers crossing my mind as I look up at the flustered demon. His cheeks dark grey while his eyes seemed to be a glowing blue. A giggle leaves my lips as I tiptoe and place a small peck on his cool grey lips, my grin widening as his blush darkened more. “I love you, Dark.” I announce, nuzzling my head into his chest, enjoying the cool breeze brush past us as the smell of the garden flowers filled the air, the scent being dragged around by the wind like paint on a canvas. I quickly look back up at the man to see him as an almost entirely blushing mess, his voice barely able to stutter out that he loves me too.   

A loud awe noise broke through the moment, snapping our attention to the pastel dressed man that was busy squealing and crushing a struggling King into an unwanted hug as his attention was fixed onto us. The poor squirrel ruler was wiggling to escape his arm prison but Wilford was just too strong as he cheered on our confessions. “Really, Warfstache?!” Dark exclaimed before storming over and freeing the king and watching the crowned man scurry off into the treeline. “I can’t have a moment's peace with you around, now can I?” His arms crossed, making the muscular arms concealed under his rather tight white shirt move and bulge, catching my attention rather well. My eyes scanned across the demon’s form, a scarlet tint coating my cheeks in a not-so-innocent way. A giggle left my throat as I watched Wilford tease a blushing Dark while the flushed man was scolding.

“You certainly know how to pick them, lass.” The calm Irish voice stopped me from jumping in shock as I turned to look up at my best friend. I greet Sean with a huge hug before he sits next to me. “I still can’t believe all of this. I mean… It seems rather impossible. But, the big thing is that you’re home and you’re okay. I have to ask though, are you happy? With Dark, I mean.” I nod along and tell Sean I’m happy with Dark. Truly happy. “Good, but if I hear he’s hurt you or tricked you or something like that then I’ll kick his arse. I’m sure the rest of my egos would happily do the same.” Sean beams at me, pulling me into a side hug as we watched the two Iplier egos in front of us. A moment later and my huge fluffy blanket is draped around us. “Oh look, the glitch decided to show up.” Sean joked as as Anti appeared next to us.

Anti rolled his eyes at Sean’s joke and pulled me into a gentle hug, his arms barely wrapped around my side.  “Oh, hush, will ya?” The green-hued man hissed out, his head laying between my shoulder and my neck. My arms wrapped around the glitch happily, returning the hug. “How ya feeling, lass?” He asked softly.

I shrugged, a smile never leaving my face. “I feel pretty good apart from the vomiting but I’ve been told it’s nothing to worry about and well… None of my symptoms are too worrying. I mean I could just be throwing up from eating something weird or the fact I’m overly stressed. Dark doesn’t seem to be freaking out over it. And neither are the doctors.” I explained as I looked back over to what seemed to be Dark trying not to kill Wilford as the madman pulled at the demon’s cheeks. _Bad move, Will._ My thoughts cringed as Dark slapped Wil upside the head and stormed back over to where I was, only to stop and stare at the Septics that seemed to gather around me. He looks at me questioningly, to which I just shrug and open my arms to him. The monochromatic man was quick to sit by my feet and let me wrap my arms around his neck.

It had been a long time since I felt as peaceful as I did in that moment, surrounded by the people I loved as we enjoyed each other’s company. Stories, jokes and laughter being shared between us. Hopefully, today was the start of a fairly peaceful future. I barely noticed so much time had passed until Dark was pulling me inside and into the kitchen. Before I could ask what he was doing, he started to rummage through the fridge and began to pull things out. He was making me dinner. I was surprised he didn’t just make it appear like he did on our date. “Forever means nothing without you, I hope you know that, Sunshine.” Dark smiles my way before turning his attention to the oven. “Now, how do I do this again?” _Oh dear lord._


	21. Nyctophilia

The air was clean and crisp. Cold surrounded me but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I had felt colder before anyhow, but this felt like a gentle hug as it brushed against my arms. My old but luckily not tattered, peach cardigan, still holding my vintage perfume, was blowing by my sides as I looked out onto the large field. The trees around the area were in full bloom as Spring had taken hold of the area. I took in a deep breath and leaned up against the tree that I had sat up against, the bark barely scratching me as I shifted my weight. It would have been a rather peaceful experience if it weren’t for the sound of my lover sleeping with his head laid in my lap and the laughter that radiated from the other side of the field. 

My eyes travelled over my lover’s body. It wasn’t often that I saw him this peaceful considering his job and his colleagues, there was something rather enchanting about the way he looked when he was sleeping especially with that small smile curled on his face that let me know that he was comfortable. There was something about the way his hair splayed across his face, the way his eyelashes fluttered as he dreamed, the way his chest would rise and fall with each soft breath. Each little movement had me falling further and further in love. His arms were crossed across his belly, a noticeable golden band on his hand showing off against his grey skin. Seeing it made me fiddle with the silver band that rested on my own hand. 

A cheeky little giggle caught my attention, my eyes flying over to where it sounded out from to see a small boy with jet black wavy hair and bright blue eyes hide from a younger girl with dark brown bangs and warm light brown eyes, as well as a man in pastel attire. The boy looked over to me and beamed before climbing the tree, joining my lover’s royal lookalike. The little girl was the next to look at me, a questioning look much like her father’s was thrown my way but she only received a shrug in response, I wasn’t going to spoil her brother’s fun. The man in pastel looked on from his position, he obviously knew where the boy had gone but had the same opinion as me, playing with the kids was one of the few times that the pink moustached man gave my love a break from his chaotic tendencies. He was practically his old self around the kids, but the guns had been banned since he found out about them. 

My attention went back to the man who was asleep with his head in my lap, my fingers had worked their way through his pitch black hair. I looked back to the children playing, wondering where the third had gotten to, it wasn’t often that he wandered away from his older brother and sister. My heart began to increase in speed as I looked around, my eyes not being able to see the little one. A groan sounded from next to me as my cheeks were cupped by cold and pulled to look towards my lover, now on his knees beside me. **“Calm, you’re making it so I can sense your panic. William is fine, Wilford sent him home with Bim and Eric as he was getting tired and he didn’t want Junior and Di to worry.”** Dark’s deep voice brought me back to reality. The fact it was deep showed that the entity had more control, so it meant Damien was probably still sleeping. My gazed brush over his face, noticing his pure black eyes at that moment and drinking them in. 

“Was Gumdrop panicking about Little Will again?” Wilford’s slurred words sounded out as he made his way over, Diana sitting on his shoulders while Damien Jr held onto the man’s side using a strap on his suspenders. Dark nodded, a small apologetic smile on his face as he pulled me closer to him, his vanta black suit jacket being summoned over my shoulders at that moment. I try to apologise but the eccentric man shushes me rather loudly. “No need to apologise, madam! I should have told you I sent the boy home to sleep. The apology is mine to give.” Wilford threw a sheepish smile my way before placing Diana down and clicking his fingers, a blanket now under us and a picnic basket beside us. “But for now, time to eat!” Junior and Diana cheered and quickly took their place beside Dark and me. 

A smile was almost glued onto my face as I looked at my husband and children, it was easy to tell that they were his and that they loved each other. The sight was heartwarming. Diana poked at her father, much like she did when she was a baby and tried to steal his tie, possibly to use in her hair. Junior, however, was busy leaning against me, his tiny hands messing with the ends of my cardigan. It’s common for parents to look at their kids and wonder what they’ll end up being like when they’re adults themselves. But thanks to Wilford and his antics, Dark and I already knew. Apparently, the man never heard of spoilers.

Damien Junior, while much like his father and the man he was named after, even looking a lot like Damien Senior, he didn’t take to politics well. Instead, he took an interest in being a police officer. He was inspired by the many, many, many attempts at trying to keep Wilford out of trouble. Turns out regular criminals are easier to deal with than his uncle. He was the first to get married but the last to have kids, or rather a kid - dealing with his uncle and little brother was enough trouble. On his days off from stopping criminals, he’d help to keep the different generations of egos in check. 

Diana was practically the boss of the second generation of egos and took after Dark quite a bit, even when it came to practising her abilities. She was the only one of the three to really accept them, her older brother only using them if needed and her younger brother outright refusing to use them. When Dark wasn’t helping Diana with her abilities, her aunt was. That bit confused Wilford but he didn’t look too much into it, assuming that I had adopted someone as my sister rather than the alternative. She was the last to get married and second last to have children but having the most children at the grand total of 5. Twins and then triplets. Poor girl.

William was a rather unfortunate one, he took after his uncle and became a colonel but he quit after that and took to being an attorney after seeing his best friend die in the middle of a war. Apparently, he was a lot more comfortable in the courtroom than a battlefield. Dark joked that William took after me in that sense. William wasn’t married for long, about a month or so before she left him for someone else after realising that he wasn’t going to give her anything other than love, all his money going to his two girls from a previous relationship. He often got in trouble with his brother while trying to keep his uncle out of trouble with the law. Despite everything, he was happy babysitting his niece and nephews alongside looking after his girls when his siblings were busy. 

It was an odd feeling, seeing my children at their young age and knowing exactly how they’re going to turn out but for the most part, I couldn’t help but have my heart swell in pride that they became brilliant people. It was a comfort. That despite a decent amount of those they called ‘uncle’ being murderers, they were good people. I look up at their father and smile gently at him, noticing he had taken to playing with Diana’s hair while Junior had taken the chance to mess with his father’s tie that was most likely given to him by his sister. My eyes drifted over to Wilford as he smiled sadly over the situation, causing a frown to take over my smile. I shift my position from one end of the blanket to the other, making me sit next to Wilford instead of my husband. “You alright?” I ask softly, leaning up against him. The vanta black jacket pressing against him being a stark contrast against his faded yellow shirt. 

The pastel dressed madman nodded gently before dragging his attention over to me. “Perfectly perfect. It’s just a shame that Damien and Celine couldn’t see this. Damien would absolutely adore seeing you so happy and while you and Celine got off on the wrong foot, I’m sure you two would eventually get along…” He muttered, playing with one of his white shirt cuffs almost anxiously, his whole demeanour always changed ever so slightly for the worse when he spoke about the past. “I swear to protect you and your children. Please never forget that, old chap.” I throw him a smile pull him into a hug, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. “I won’t let you fall again.” His voice cracked slightly as he buried his head into the crook of my neck and his arms wrapped around my waist, crushing me into him. A brisk chill surrounded us but all I did was smile.  _ Wanted a hug too, Damien?  _ My thoughts chuckled as the cold picked up and seemed to tighten its grip on the old Colonel and I. “Bloody hell, it’s gotten cold real quick!” Wilford hissed as his arms went between my cardigan and Dark’s blazer for warmth. 

**_I felt as if I was being left out. Plus, Deline wanted to spend time with the kids by herself and the entity’s self for a moment._ ** Damien’s voice explained, it was always nice having him in my head.  _ Deline?  _ That was a new name, and while I could guess what he was going on about, I wanted to hear his explanation.  **_As in the part of Celine that’s currently in Dark. Considering the rest of her wants to remain separate so I have most of the control when the entity allows me to be conscious away from being Dark. And they’re practically two different people now._ ** I hum to let Damien and Wilford I know I heard them. I turn my head to look at Dark, whose jet black eyes are now firmly locked onto me. My lips curl into a smile to try and break the tension before it began to build. My eyes fell onto Junior who was now attempting to wiggle his way into the middle of the hug between Wilford and me. 

A soft smile grew on my lips as I watched my son place the vanta black tie around my neck before using his uncle as a backrest, a pleased look on his face as he took in the sight of his mother wearing his father’s almost void-like tie and blazer. “Mama’s the void!” Exclaimed the happy 7 year old who leapt forward and wrapped his limbs around me in his attempt of a tight hug. A chuckle left my throat as I pulled my firstborn close, nuzzling his messy hair gently. “Ana, come hug!” He called out to his little sister who tried to move as fast as she could despite only being 5 years old. Once she was in arms reach, Junior pulled his little sister into his lap before tugging Wilford closer, the moustached man getting his hint and wrapping his arms around us. “Papa! Come hug us too!” He giggled out, drawing my attention over to Dark who was now red-eyed with a horrid, disgusted look on his face. 

“Stormy, come on, love.” I coo out softly, giving Damien Senior a hint as I waited for Dark’s red eyes to change to a warm brown. Pretty sure if I wasn’t there then Deline wouldn’t mind hugging the children and Wilford. Once Dark’s eyes were back to Stormy’s chocolate brown, he shifted over and wrapped all of us in a warm hug, battling Damien’s frosty ability. I thank him and allow my head to rub slightly against his cheek. We stayed like that for a while until Dark noticed the sky beginning to darken, and he sent Wilford off to take the children home. 

Once alone, my love took the opportunity to take hold of my hand and walk us through the forest around us. The sound of the wind gently blowing, and the slow, repetitive sound of the rain that had just begun to fall calmed the atmosphere. We eventually stopped at a lake which what seemed to be crystal clear water, the kind that made it look almost completely shallow when really it was most likely extremely deep. My head turned to look up at my monochromatic husband to find him looking down at me, a beautiful smile pulled across his face. “Do you remember this place?” How could I forget?

 

_ Hushed giggles slipped out of my mouth as I rushed through the cold wintery forest, the morning dew coating my legs as my cardigan fluttered around behind me. I could hear rustling in the bushes behind me but it just made me keep my speed up as much as I could before it became harmful. I had been warned about overexerting myself but if Dark wanted to play a game of hide and seek, I wasn’t going to say no. He promised not to use his abilities to catch me, I could only hope that wasn’t a trick. A grunt left me as I forced myself to stop at a giant frozen lake. “Woah.” My feet slowly pulled myself over to the edge, memories of Damien pulling me into an ice rink came to mind, causing another giggle to leave my mind. He always did prefer the cold.  _

_ “Darling! Darling~!” I could hear my love’s calls in the distance and it made me giddy to know that he had yet to find me. “Darling, where are you~?!” But he would find me if I stayed still for much longer. Another giggle left me as I made my way over to a bush that was on the edge of the small opening that lead to the lake and slipped into it, making sure there wasn’t an unnatural gap between the leaves from me entering. “Darling, you couldn’t have gone far~” A few minutes later and he was just walking into the opening, his eyes looking around carefully. “Darling?” His voice became softer as he looked around, almost as if he was afraid that he had ran in the wrong direction but little did he know he was closer to me than he realised. “Darling, please come out.” Damien’s voice crept out a little bit, the worry in his tone making a nasty lump in my throat form. I was tempted to go over and swallow him in a hug to stop his worry. “Sunshine?!” Damien’s voice was fully out now while Dark frantically scanned the area.  _

_ While his back was turned I quickly made my way out of the bush and over to what seemed to be a small wooden dock for if people wanted to bring their own little boats to float around in the lake. “Stormy~!” I call out, a happy tone in my voice to calm him down. Dark’s head almost snapped over to look at me, his shoulders slumping as he relaxed. I could just about hear him mutter my name as he rushed over to me and wrapped his arms tightly around my shoulders. I could hear him mutter to himself, something about never forgiving himself if he lost me again. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, I’m fine. If anything happened then I’d call or Celine would go get you.” I tried to reassure him but the stubborn man wasn’t going to listen as he kept muttering. _

_ It took a surprisingly a bit of effort to pull his head from its place on my shoulder but with my hands gently stroking his cheeks to keep his attention on me, he soon calmed down properly. “I’m sorry, I just got so worked up…” I mention that it’s fine, that he’s allowed to worry about me. Dark chuckles weakly at that before allowing his head to fall forward, his forehead resting against mine. “I’m so used to depending on my abilities, it’s scary how quickly I could actually lose you without them.” He sighed and pressed a light kiss to my forehead before turning to look at the frozen over lake. A small smile curled his lips as he looked out onto the icy surface. “I never want to lose you.” He announced, his hand taking mine, his eyes flashing blue as his eyes met mine. I raise an eyebrow as a nervous look slowly etched into his face while his other hand ran down his side. I ask if he’s alright to which he nods with a gulp and as much as I enjoyed watching his Adam's apple move, I was slowly growing concerned with his actions.  _

_ Dark had a nasty habit of being impulsive even against his better judgement and him trying his best to plan everything out as he liked to look like an organised and composed leader despite being anything but. So it wouldn’t have really surprised me if he had gotten into trouble. Like being shot. Again. Seriously what is it with versions of me shooting him. I turn my attention back to Dark just as he begins to descend to the floor, kneeling in front of me. “I understand this is an awkward time, considering…” His eyes fall to my stomach area for a moment, confirming something I had become more than suspicious over considering the amount of concern that people had over my safety now. “I-I mean, I was nearly in tears at the fact I thought I lost you! But that’s actually what’s spurring me on right now, that and if I didn’t do this soon then I’d risk Celine’s fiery wrath.” I chuckled at that, feeling my back warm slightly as Celine seemed to hug me and watch what was happening from behind. “I’m rambling but that’s because there are so many things I want to say to you and I know that forever would never be enough time to tell you how much I and Damien love you and how much I’d be grateful if you so much as considered giving me the honour of having your hand in marriage. _

_ “So, with that being said, I just… I just wanted to know if you have forgiven me enough to wear...:” Dark’s voice quietened down as he searched in his pockets for what was most likely the ring, completely ignoring the tears running down my face and the bright red blush that had gripped my cheeks. “This.” Out of his pocket and in his hand held a stunning but simple ring with a silver band and black gemstone in the middle. “My Sunshine, will you marry me?” Hope coated his deep voice as he looked up to me with a sheepish smile, only for his smile to drop into a frown. “W-Why are you crying?!” Without a moment to lose, he was up on his feet, his hands, still holding the ring, cupping my cheeks. He tried his best to wipe away the tears despite having an object in his hand. “Did I do something wrong?” Damien’s voice chirped back in, it always seemed to be Damien actively worrying most likely because the entity had no idea how to handle worry.  _

_ I shake my head and kiss him softly. My hands coming up to cup his cheeks as well. “No, you goofball. As if I’d refuse to spend the rest of my life with you. Marriage or not, I want to be with you for eternity, however long that may be. I think we deserve at least that much. So… yeah, I’ll marry you.” My cheeks quickly began to hurt from how much I was beaming at the love of my life and I’m sure Dark was feeling the same as he had a similarly large, if not bigger, smile. A moment later he was slipping the ring onto my finger. In the distance, I could hear someone call out: “Well, it’s about fucking time!” Thanks for that Wilford. _

 

I chuckle and shake my head at the memory, when we had gotten back to the manor everyone was celebrating and congratulating us on the engagement. Turns out that Wilford had paid King to follow us and then report back to him what happened, apparently he had been doing that since things had settled down. “It was one of the best days of my life and you’re asking me if I remember?” I tease as I lean into him, his arm curling around my side. A chuckle left him as we both looked over towards the lake. 

“I have a surprise for you.” He slowly lead me towards to the small wooden docking area as a small rowboat began to form from a black mist. I roll my eyes playfully as he gently helped me on the boat like the gentleman he was before taking his place by the oars and facing me. It wasn’t long before he had rowed us to the middle of the lake and pulled out a basket that most likely had food in it. But not cooked by him, he was banned from cooking after nearly setting the manor on fire with his last attempt. 

It was almost pitch black out by the time we had finished eating. The only things that were illuminating the surrounding area were the moon and Dark. Not that I minded. I adored the night and I adored Dark even more. The demon gently pulled me over to him and on top of his lap, him placing a rather passionate but soft kiss on my lips before a loud blasting sound ripped my attention to the sky above us. Suddenly colours were filling the night sky, white, orange, red, blue, the occasional pink but almost all of them taking the familiar shape of typically fireworks apart from a few that were shaped like hearts. “Happy Anniversary, my Sunshine~” Dark cooed out, placing a tingling kiss on my neck as we watched the night sky and a certain ego’s vibrant and eccentric light show. Thoughts and reflection of the past nearly 10 years filled my mind as I turned my head to look at the man I’d spend forever with.

 

And to think all this started thanks to some whispers in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end of the main story of the Whispers in the Dark Universe but there will be more stories.   
> Thank you so much for joining me on this journey, it's my first story that I put so much effort and time into. I'm also sorry that it took this long to get to the end, but the end is finally here and I hope that you've enjoyed it.   
> Feel free to write any stories based on this fic or inspired by its universe and also feel free to create art based around it too.  
> If you want to talk to me, you can find me on Twitter: @PlaguedParadox or Tumblr: thatnerdyspacefreak.tumblr.com  
> Once again, thank you and I'll hopefully have you guys read my next tale.


End file.
